Home for Christmas
by Medie Shanachie
Summary: Lorne thought going on missions was tough, but nothing compares to meeting the family.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is just fluff for Christmas or, well it started out that way, I'm not sure where its going now since I honestly thought this would be finished a few days ago. This is a bit of an AU (although after last week's episode not as much of an AU as I thought it would be) set about three years into the future. Lorne and Aiden Bancroft are an established relationship, but they aren't married. This is set about three years in the future--hence the reason Lorne is now a Lieutenant Colonel. (And for those of you curious, Sheppard is now a full bird colonel and Woosley has been put in charge of Atlantis just like according to canon (but I didn't go with "The Last Man" since it hadn't aired and I hadn't seen it when I finished it), but both Lorne and Sheppard are still on Atlantis.)_

_Sorry, this is really a new start, but I had a bunch of people tell me that I had forgotten to italicize some stuff. Actually I didn't...fan fiction was having some issues and wouldn't let me. So I've figured out a way around it and re-posted Chapter One. And I'll be adding at least Chapter Two tonight also._

_Standard Disclaimer: Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me, they belong to MGM, Gekko, Scifi and whomever else created them (cuz I can't remember at the moment). Deke, McFadden, Aiden, and her annoying family do. I'm not making any money off this. Oh, and I wanna claim the "Atlantis Christmas Elves" too!_

* * *

Lorne entered Aiden's office, surprised to find her sitting at her table, staring at her laptop. It wasn't that she was looking at her laptop, but that she was sitting still and just staring at it. He paused and watched her for a few minutes, even after four years his breath still caught when he looked at her sometimes. Deep inside he still wondered what she saw in him. Smiling, he made his way around the table and stopped behind her. He slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder so he could look at the screen too. "What's caught your interest?" he asked softly.

She didn't jump, which confirmed his thought that she wasn't deep into whatever had caught her attention. "Did you get this email?" she asked, tilting the screen so it was easier for him to read.

He scanned what she was looking at before replying, "Yes, everyone got it. Well, all the department heads and seconds. Sheppard and Woosley think as many people as possible should take the chance."

She turned to face him, causing him to back up a little, but he moved right back in allowing her to snuggle up against him. Her eyes were shining as she looked up at him. "To go home for Christmas? Oh, I'd love to. I can't remember the last time I saw everyone."

He nodded at the list that was attached at the bottom. "So add your name. You'll get put into the lotto then."

She turned back around to type her name into the list. "Are you going to add your name and go see your parents and Kaitlyn and the rest of your family?"

He shook his head, even though she wasn't looking now. "No, I'll stay and let Sheppard or some of the captains put their names in. We still need to keep enough Marines here to protect the city and someone has to make sure they don't blow the place up."

Aiden nodded, but when he started to wander around her lab, she added his name to the list with hers. With a smile to herself, she closed the laptop, then pulled him away from dismantling her lab and went to find dinner.

* * *

Lorne frowned as he opened his email a week later. Hiding among the usual suspects was one in capital letters, LOTTERY WINNERS. Assuming that it was just a list of who he would be doing without for the next month or so, he opened it to read:

_Lieutenant Colonel Lorne, as one of the lottery winners you are required to be in the 'gate room at 1800 Atlantis Standard time three days before Earth Christmas. Please pack lightly as you will return via the 'gate bridge. You will need civilian clothes for a week's worth of leave. Enjoy your time off._ He had to grin at the signature of _The Atlantis Christmas Elves_, but then realized he had never put his name on the lottery list.

Reaching up, he keyed his radio open and spoke, "Doctor Bancroft, where are you?"

"I'm busy at the moment, Evan," came her quick reply, "but I'm free for dinner."

"No, Doctor, you're free now. Where are you?" he replied.

"Sure. Of course I am. I'm in the lab with McFadden and Deke," she replied. As she clicked the radio off, she turned to look at the two men in her lab. "I think you'd better clear out."

McFadden looked up from the tablet he had been studying. "Problem?" he asked.

"Ah, I think Evan just figured out I added his name to the lottery list," she admitted. "I think he's a little upset."

The two men exchanged glances and Deke asked, "Why would you say that?"

"He called me Doctor."

Deke picked up his laptop, followed closely by McFadden. "We'll see you later," McFadden said as they beat a hasty retreat out of the lab.

"Oh, thanks, leave me to face the armed and pissed off military guy all by myself," Aiden grumbled as she shut down her laptop. She wasn't going to get any more work done tonight even if Lorne wasn't that mad at her.

"Considering you pissed him off all on your own," Lorne said from the doorway.

She turned to face him. "Would it help if I said I was sorry? And that I shouldn't have done it?"

"It's a start." He crossed his arms and glared at her. "What were you thinking? I told you I didn't want to go."

Aiden crossed her arms and glared back at him. "I was thinking that if I got selected I didn't want to spend three weeks without you. I was thinking that I would like to take you home to meet my family. I was thinking that I love you and I want you to know the other people that I love. I was thinking..."

He held up a hand to stop her flow of words. "Okay. I got it." He sighed. "You didn't do it to piss me off."

"I know you don't want to see your family, Evan, for whatever reason, but I want to see mine and I'd like you to meet them. You've only met Eddie and I know it wasn't the best of experiences, but he liked you in the end. And they aren't all as bad as he is."

"Did you get selected too?" he asked.

She grinned. "Yes. Will you..." she paused and took a deep breath, "go home for Christmas with me?"

He grinned back at her, unable to resist the happiness on her face. "Yes."

Aiden ran across the room, leaping into his arms and covering his face with kisses. "Thank you!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Wow, this is like going on and on and on like way longer than I had ever planned. Somehow I don't think it's going to quite reach the epic proportions of "Stonehenge Secret", but yeah, I never intended for it to get this long. Nor did I intend to let this long go between posting chapters. So here's a new chapter for you. Lorne meets the family. And I realized I never actually said where Aiden's family lives (or well her parents) and I'm not sure I've ever going to, so for those of you interested--they live in Kentucky._

_Warnings: Aiden's language. And anytime she uses something foreign, I'll translate it at the end of the chapter._

_Standard Disclaimer: Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me, they belong to MGM, Gekko, Scifi and whomever else created them (cuz I can't remember at the moment). Aiden and her annoying family do. I'm not making any money off this._

* * *

Evan looked over at Aiden as he pulled to a stop in front of her parents' house. She had been her usual talkative self right up until he turned off the highway. Then she had clammed up and just looked around. "You okay?" he asked, turning the engine off, but not making any motion to get out. If she had changed her mind, he was perfectly willing to get them both out of there.

She turned a weak smile towards him. "Yeah. I'm fine." She looked at the house and then back at him. "I have a confession to make."

"You left something running on Atlantis?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. It's not that. I didn't exactly tell them I was bringing you with me."

Evan rested his head against the steering wheel. "What did you tell them?" he asked.

"Just that I was bringing a friend with me," she answered. She rested her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Evan. I just wasn't sure how to tell them."

Evan wished for the bench seats on the old cars from his teenage years. He wanted to pull Aiden into his arms and comfort her, but the heat was starting to leech from the car without the motor running and pretty soon someone would notice the car out front. "Don't worry about it, Aiden," he replied. They both looked towards the house as the front door opened. "Showtime," he whispered.

Aiden got out of the car as a mass of people boiled out of the house. Evan got out of the driver's side and leaned on the roof of the car, watching as Aiden was engulfed by the wave of people. Within a few moments, he realized it wasn't as many people as he thought, it was just the three children running in circles that made it look like more people. The men, whom he assumed were Aiden's brothers, were taking turns picking her up and swinging her around as they hugged her. Finally the last of them set her down and an older woman stepped forward to enfold Aiden in her arms. The noise quieted down and Evan was able to hear her greet Aiden. "I'm so happy to see you're safe, baby," she said. "It's good to have you home." She held Aiden at arms' length and looked her over. "You look good. Now who have you brought with you?"

Everyone turned to look at Evan almost in unison and a hubbub of noise broke out as they all tried to greet him, introduce themselves, and also get a word in edgewise to Aiden on what they thought. Finally a familiar voice broke out above the babble, "Damn, she brought the zoomie with her."

There was dead silence for a few seconds and then Evan was almost deafened by the shouts from all sides of, "Switzerland!" followed closely by an annoyed male voice that said, "I'd really like it if my children did not return to school sounding like Marines, Eddie."

"Hey, as a zoomie I resemble that remark," another voice broke in.

The woman that had greeted Aiden, and that Evan now realized had to be her mother, clapped her hands once sharply. "Enough, boys," she said firmly. She stepped forward, holding out her hand for Evan to shake. "I'll apologize for all of them now. I've tried to drill manners into their heads, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in. Welcome to our home, Colonel Lorne."

Evan smiled. She wasn't any taller than Aiden, although no where near as thin. Her hair must have been the same rich chestnut of Aiden's when she was younger, but it had faded over the years. "Thank you, ma'am," he replied. "Please call me Evan."

She nodded. "Evan it is then." She turned to the men that were gathered around. "Sean, Ian, get Aiden and Evan's bags, please. Where's Daren?"

One of the two identical boys that had stepped forward turned from the car and answered her, "He got a call just before they pulled up, Ma. I gather he had to go back to the hospital."

The other boy nodded. "He did. He knew Aiden was coming, Ma. He'll see her."

She nodded. "All right. Well, let's get into the house. It's getting chilly out here."

One of the children, one of two girls, Evan could see now that they weren't dancing in circles, grabbed the woman's hand. "Is it going to snow, Gramma?"

She winked conspiratorially at the child. "It just might. Come on now. Boys, you can torment your sister indoors."

Evan choked back a laugh as he followed the family into the house. This was going to be an interesting vacation. Once inside, they crowded into the front hall and Evan found himself separated Aiden. She was arguing in a quiet voice with her mother about something and he tried to edge his way around the other people to get to her. He was stopped by a hand tugging on his jeans. He looked down into a small pixie face. After a moment, he realized it was the little girl who had asked about the snow outside. "Hi," he greeted her. Aiden or Wall and Murray normally dealt with the little girls on away missions. It wasn't that he didn't like little girls; he just wasn't sure what to do with them since his sister had two boys.

"You should only talk to strangers that you know," she informed him.

"Um, okay," he replied. "But it's kinda my job to talk to strangers. I'm really careful though."

She nodded seriously. "Do you protect people like Unca Sean and Unca Eddie?"

Guessing that she had to be Aiden's niece, he answered her just as seriously, "Yes, I do. One of the people I protect is your Aunt Aiden."

Looking up at him, she replied, "Thank you."

A woman came over and scooped her up. "Bridget! Leave him alone." She settled the girl on her hip. "I'm so sorry, Colonel."

Evan smiled easily. "Please call me Evan. She wasn't bothering me. I just don't have much contact with children."

The woman held out a well-manicured hand for him to shake. "I'm Gabrielle, Patrick's wife. This is Bridget, the youngest of our children."

"It's nice to meet you," Evan replied, then turned as he felt a hand on his arm. He tried not to breath a sigh of relief when he saw it was Aiden.

"Overwhelmed yet?" she asked, grinning at him. "We're gonna go upstairs and get settled in our room, Ev." She turned to her mother. "So we're in my old room?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. "Yes, Addy. Go ahead up and get settled. Dinner's in an hour. Why don't you relax until then?"

Aiden took Evan's hand and grabbed her duffel with her free hand. She motioned for the other brother to hand over Evan's bag, then led him up the stairs and down the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief when they were in the room and the door was shut.

Dropping the bag, she stepped into his body, snugging her arms around his waist and nestling against him. Evan ran his hands down her back, relaxing in the familiar feel of her body. "You okay, grá?" she asked softly.

He took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of her; the scent he took into his dreams each night; the scent that meant home to him. "Better now," he replied. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess I didn't think that this wouldn't be that relaxing for you."

"No. It was a good idea," he replied. "I'll deal. At least no one should be shooting at us."

She titled her head up and grinned at him. "See. You just had to find the bright side."

Knowing that the fastest way to derail her was to shut her up, Evan captured her lips in a kiss. Sliding his arms around her, he encouraged her to move her hands from his waist up to his neck and he slid his hands under her butt in preparation to picking her up. It was at that moment that the door behind him slammed open. Spinning around, he automatically placed himself between the door and Aiden, reaching for his nonexistent sidearm. He was trying to unscramble his brain and remember why he wasn't armed, when a pillow went flying past him and smacked into the man in the doorway.

"Daren Bancroft," Aiden snapped, "why the _fuck_ haven't you learned to knock?"

* * *

_grá--love_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Chapter Three and #giggles# Lorne meets the other important male in Aiden's life. ;-) Oh and there is nothing like getting to know the family._

_Spoilers: Pretty major ones for the beginning of "Stonehenge Secret"._

_Warnings: Aiden's language._

_Standard Disclaimer: Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me, they belong to MGM, Gekko, Scifi and whomever else created them (cuz I can't remember at the moment). Aiden, Murray, Wall, and her annoying family do. I'm not making any money off this._

* * *

The man, Daren Evan assumed, rubbed his face where the pillow had hit him. Evan had to admit that Aiden's aim was improving with random artillery. "Nice to see you, too, Sis," he said. "Can I come in?"

Aiden pushed on Evan so he'd move aside and crossed her arms, glaring at her brother. "Daren, you've lived with guys in the military. How stupid are you? Evan's been overseas for the last five years. He's not exactly relaxed at the moment."

Daren raised one eyebrow and gave her a look that Evan had seen on her face more than once, the one that gernally meant teasing or trouble. "He looked pretty relaxed a moment ago."

Aiden picked up another pillow and threatened him with it. "You wanna be hit again?"

He spread his arms and held them out to her. "No. I want a hug from my kid sister whom I haven't seen in almost five years. Forgive me? I promise to remember to knock." He grinned at her and Evan had to admit he would probably be hard to resist.

Aiden grinned back at him and stepped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "This doesn't mean you're forgiven," she informed him as she stepped back.

"No, of course not," Daren agreed amicably. He turned to Evan. "You must be Evan. I'm Daren; the youngest of Aiden's childhood tormentors. I've heard a lot about you, its nice to finally meet you."

Evan shook the hand he held out. "Knowing Aiden, I'm not sure if I should be worried you know a lot about me or not."

It took Aiden a moment, but she quickly got it. "Hey! I resent that!"

Evan kissed the top of her head. "Resent it all you like, doll, it's true. I'm going to take a shower and let you catch up with your brother."

"I thought you got called to the hospital," Aiden said as Evan opened his bag and poked through it for clean clothes.

"I did," Daren replied, "but I got about halfway there when Hunter called me and said he'd handle it so I could see you."

"Aw, that was nice of him," Aiden said. She turned when she saw Evan was just standing by the bed. "Bathroom's through there, grá." She pointed to one of the two doors in the room. "It's private so no need to lock the door unless you want to."

"Thanks." He gave Daren a half-wave. "Nice meeting you, Daren."

"Same," Daren replied, then turned to his sister with a comment about Evan calling her doll. Evan shut out their voices as he shut the bathroom door.

When Evan came back out of the bathroom, Aiden was curled up on the bed with Daren. Her head rested on his shoulder as they both watched something on the laptop screen. She was so engrossed in what they were watching that Evan was able to study her for a few moments.

The two had a similar look, the same chestnut hair and sapphire eyes. Daren was as thin as Aiden, but the same height as Evan. He wasn't anywhere near as broad as Evan, but lankier like Sheppard was. Daren's hair touched his shoulders and was wavy, curling in random directions to prove it was a natural curl.

Evan tossed his dirty clothes into the laundry basket and walked over to the bed, running his hand up Aiden's leg. She pulled her eyes off the screen and gave him the smile that was only his; the one that made his heart flip over every time. "What'cha watching?" he asked curiously.

"Daren and Hunter's commitment ceremony," Aiden replied. "Want to watch with us?"

Evan eyed the bed where the two of them were cuddled. He knew about Daren's orientation, but wasn't sure he was ready to watch a ceremony. He didn't have a problem with who Daren loved, but didn't know many openly gay men so was a little bit uncomfortable around him. He suspected once he got to know Aiden's brother that he would like him. "I'm not sure there's enough room on there for me." He pushed her leg gently to let her know he wasn't rejecting her. "Enjoy your time with your brother. I'll just do some reading."

Aiden had settled her head back on Daren's shoulder, but it popped back up at his words. "No work stuff," she said, pointing her finger at him.

He leaned over and kissed her quickly. "I didn't bring any with me." He pulled a paperback he had bought at the airport out of his bag and sat down in the easy chair across the room from them. Opening the book, he pretended to read, but actually watched Aiden. It felt really nice to relax and not have to worry about being shot at. It was even nicer not to see Aiden as contained or on guard as usual. Even among their team, she didn't always relax completely, although she was closer to them than to anyone else on Atlantis. She would relax with him, but she was still always somewhat on guard just because they were always on call on base. Now she rested against her brother, playing absentmindedly with one of his curls and commenting in a low voice on what they were watching.

A knock on the door startled Evan into reaching for the gun that wasn't on his hip. Daren eyed him as Aiden shut the laptop and swung her feet to the floor. "He's really jumpy, Addy," Daren commented.

Aiden squeezed Evan's shoulder on her way to the door. "It's been a rough couple of months, Daren," she explained. "We've been attacked at home quite a few times. Once he gets used to the noises, he'll stop jumping so much." She opened the door and smiled at her nephew. "Yes, Gavin?"

"Gramma says dinner's ready. And Uncle Hunter called, he's gonna stay at the hospital," the boy replied.

"Of course he is," Daren replied in a long suffering voice. "What else would he do?" He left the room, dragging his nephew after him. "You better not take too long to come downstairs," he called over his shoulder as he followed Gavin. "I think you've forgotten how much guys eat."

"I eat almost every meal with Marines," Aiden yelled after him. She turned to Evan. "Ready to brave the horde?" she asked.

"How campy do you want me to get?" Evan replied. "Because I could say 'with you I can brave anything'."

Aiden made a face, but then spoiled it by giggling. "That's a little too campy."

Evan smiled, glad to see her laughing again. They all tried to hang onto their sense of humor, but it had been hard the last few weeks. "In that case, I'm starving for something that didn't come ready to eat or out of a can."

When they got down to the dinning room, everyone else was already settled at the table. They slid into their places as the food began to circulate. Evan tried to relax into the good-natured bickering and teasing, but found he was still too tense to really enjoy it. He concentrated instead on watching Aiden; her interactions were giving him new insight into his girlfriend.

He had just swallowed a mouthful of meat when one of the twins asked him, "So where have you been stationed most recently?"

"That's classified," Evan replied. "Sorry."

"Sean," Aiden scolded. "We came here to get away from work." Evan looked from one twin to the other, trying to figure out how to tell them apart. "Ian's wearing a wedding ring," Aiden informed him in a low voice.

"Is this why you can tell Wall and Murray apart?" Evan asked, motioning to the two men.

"Yeah. They aren't nearly as identical as these two," Aiden replied.

"Okay. You can't tell us where you work," Ian said. "How did you meet Addy?"

"At work," Aiden answered quickly before Evan could even open his mouth. "I was assigned to his team as a translator."

Evan grinned down at her. "That's not how we met. We actually met before that mission."

Aiden blushed. "You don't have to tell them about that incident. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

The twins grinned at her blush and Daren leaned around so he could see both Aiden and Evan's faces. "Oh, this has to be good," Daren said. "Do tell us this story, Evan."

Evan quickly edited the story in his head to delete the classified parts. "I was clearing the lower level of the building we were bivouacked in when I heard singing. I called up to operations and discovered there was someone else in the section I was clearing."

"Ev, grá, you really don't need to tell my brothers this story," Aiden interrupted him. "They really don't want to hear it."

Daren clapped a hand over her mouth. "If it's making you turn red, we really do want to hear it, Addy. Go on, Evan."

Evan stopped, looking down at Aiden who had turned to glare at Daren. "Wait a moment. I want to make sure she isn't going to try to kill me in my sleep."

Aiden applied pressure to the nerve in Daren's wrist, causing him to yelp and attract the attention of their father from farther down the table. "Daren, Aiden, no bloodshed at the table," he reprimanded them, "wait until after dinner to kill each other."

Evan blinked, but when none of the siblings reacted to their father's words with any horror, he decided it was just a normal comment from him. He reached for her hand and linked his fingers through hers. "Are you going to be nice to me?" he asked.

She sighed and slumped back in her seat. "You might as well finish the story. One way or another they'll hear it before we leave."

Evan kept a hold of her hand as he continued the story. "I went into one of the rooms that was supposed to be empty and found it full of consoles that our engineering corps had been working on. Sticking out from underneath one of those consoles were a pair of legs. I knelt down to ask her if she needed help, startled her, and was treated to an earful of colorful cursing. When she finished, I asked what happened. She explained that she had annoyed the engineers and they had left her stuck under the console. I got her a screwdriver, she got the panels she needed, and then I pulled her out from under the console."

Sean and Ian cracked up. "You were stuck under the console?" Sean asked when he could speak again.

Aiden covered her face with her free hand. "Yes. Its really not that funny."

"Oh, yes, it is," Daren insisted as he too finally succumbed to laughter. "Only you would meet a guy because you got yourself wedged in somewhere."

"So this isn't the first time she got stuck somewhere?" Evan asked.

"Oh, _h__ell_, no," Ian answered. "We spent half our childhood dragging her out of places she crawled into."

"I'm still not as bad as Murray," Aiden insisted. "I haven't tried to blow us up yet."

"Doll, no one is as bad as Murray," Evan pointed out. "That boy is a walking, talking disaster."

"Doll?" Ian asked as Sean said, "Murray?" Ian continued, "You call her doll and live? And you're worried about that story?"

Aiden smiled evilly and leaned closer to Ian. "Bro, he's good enough in bed that he can call me whatever he wants and live." She sat back in her chair and watched the reactions. Evan turned bright red as her twin brothers choked on what they had been eating.

"Ew! TMI!" the twins exclaimed when they stopped choking as Evan groaned, "Ai-den, please!"

Daren just laughed, having heard something similar from his sister earlier. "Well, at least she's honest."

Sean and Ian each threw a roll at their younger brother. "Shut up, Daren. She does _not_ need any encouragement," Sean said.

"Boys, if you're going to use the food as weapons, you can clean up the kitchen tonight," their mother called down the table to them.

"Yes, ma'am," they answered in chorus.

"How does she always catch us?" Ian complained.

"Because she's all knowing like a superior officer," Sean replied as he got up and began clearing the table. "Addy, you should help."

"Nope," she replied cheerfully, "you brought this on yourself. I'm going to get to know my new sister-in-law."

Ian looked slightly panicked as Aiden made her way over to the heavily pregnant woman Evan had noticed earlier. He had assumed the girl was someone's wife because she didn't share the similarity in coloring or features he was starting to associate with Aiden and her brothers. Evan scooped up a couple of plates and prepared to follow the brothers into the kitchen. "I'll give you a hand," he told Ian.

"Nah, you don't have to," Ian replied. "Addy's right, we did this to ourselves."

"I don't mind," Evan insisted. He turned to Sean. "Besides Aiden tells me you're a pilot? What'dya fly?"

Sean's eyes lit up and Ian groaned as his twin launched into a description of what he had flown most recently.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Lorne and Aiden have some quality time together._

_Warnings: Aiden's language. Oh and sex in the shower can be dangerous._

_Rating: NC-17 for graphic sexual content._

_Standard Disclaimer: Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me, they belong to MGM, Gekko, Scifi and whomever else created them (cuz I can't remember at the moment). Aiden and her annoying family do. I'm not making any money off this._

* * *

Aiden looked up from her book as Evan quietly eased his way into their bedroom. "Sneaking in after curfew, Colonel?" she teased.

Evan grinned sheepishly at her. "Sorry, doll, Sean and I were talking about planes. We kinda lost track of time."

Aiden grinned back at him as she watched him begin to strip. "I'm not upset, grá. Actually I'm glad you were having a good time talking to Sean. Just don't let him talk you into anything."

"Ah, does that include playing football with them tomorrow?" Evan asked as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

"I don't think you could have avoided that. Everyone plays in the football game," Aiden responded, then frowned as he climbed into bed. "Why are you wearing sweatpants?"

"I'm going to sleep."

"And I repeat, 'why are you wearing sweatpants'?"

"You've got a shirt on," he pointed out as he settled down. "Turn out the light when you're ready."

"I've got a shirt on because I got cold waiting for you to come to bed." Aiden turned out the light, then snuggled closer to him, sliding her hand down his chest and into his sweatpants.

Evan sighed and pulled her hand out, tucking her up against him. "No, Aiden."

She sat up and flipped the light back on, causing him to blink in the sudden brightness. "Since when do you say no to sex?" she demanded.

"Aid, we're at your parents' house. I just...I don't know. I feel a little weird making love to you knowing they're right there," he explained, looking up at her.

She turned the light off again and settled down, her back to him. "Get over it, Evan, I am not going this entire break without sex," she informed him. He waited a minute and when she didn't roll back over, he spooned up against her, pillowing her head on his shoulder. She didn't respond to his shifting, but she didn't pull away either. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Aiden woke up the next morning to the sound of the shower running in the en suite. Grinning, she jumped out of bed and ran over to the bedroom door. Locking it quickly, she backtracked to the bathroom, hoping that Evan hadn't locked that door. She had the perfect way to get him over his block about sex at her parents' house.

The knob turned easily under her hand and she slipped into the bathroom, pausing for a moment when she was inside to admire the line of Evan's body, distorted by the clear curtain. Memory filled in what she couldn't actually see. Even after all their years together, she still got wet just at the sight of his naked body. Knowing it was better not to sneak up on him completely, she called out, "Morning, Evan," as she crossed to the toilet.

He turned in the shower towards her voice, although he couldn't really see her with the water and soap in his eyes. "Morning, doll," he replied. "Did I wake you?"

"Nope," she replied as she finished. She stripped off her shirt and moved the curtain aside, stepping into the shower with him.

He jumped a little, still startled even though he knew she was there. "What're you doing?"

She stepped closer to him, running her hands down his body and following them with her mouth, nipping and kissing his hard chest. "Saying good morning," she replied as she sunk to her knees and took him into her mouth. One of her hands moved up and cupped his balls, massaging them gently.

He groaned as the hot, wet heat of her mouth enclosed him. She could feel his hands cupping the back of her head as he reached down and the hesitant motion told her he wasn't sure if he should push her away or hold her there. He wouldn't force her to do anything, but let her set the rhythm so she sucked harder. He groaned out her name, causing her to smile around her mouthful. She had him now; he was giving into her plan.

After a few minutes, he pulled his neurons together enough to tug gently on her hair. Aiden rolled her eyes up so she could see him. "Up here," he told her. "I don't want to finish in your mouth."

She stood up again, his hands on her body; both caressing and steadying her. When he took her mouth in a kiss, he could taste himself on her and that made him harden even more. Cupping her ass, he encouraged her to lift up and braced her between the wall and his body, than sank into her. They broke their kiss to groan in unison.

Pausing for a moment, Evan just enjoyed the feeling of being inside her. The shower water pounded down on his back, but his entire focus was on Aiden and the feeling of her. Aiden wrapped her legs tighter around him and dug her fingers into his shoulders. "Move, Evan," she commanded.

He pulled out a little and pushed back in, brushing against her clit and causing her to tighten all around him, both inside and out. "Like that?" he asked.

Their position didn't allow her any leverage so she settled for glaring at him as she realized he had successfully turned the tables on her. Then her glare changed to a wicked smile as she tightened her internal muscles. He nuzzled the side of her neck in response, refusing to be pushed into moving before he was ready. "Move, Evan," she whispered into the ear that was now next to her mouth. She sucked his earlobe into her mouth and then bit it gently.

Evan jerked and pulled back as she released his ear. "Aiden," he growled.

She ran her fingers through his wet hair, disarraying it. "You've never objected to that before."

"I'm trying to keep the noise down," he pointed out. "We're still at your parents' house."

Aiden reached down and played with a nipple, trusting him to hold her and not let her fall. "The shower will cover most of the noise. Come on, Evan, you're killing me here."

Figuring he had tormented her long enough, he began to move now, sliding in and out of her. She was slick and slippery both inside and out, making it hard for him to get a purchase on her body so he moved cautiously until they established a rhythm. He braced their bodies against the wall, using the back wall of the shower that was the least slick as a stop. His feet had found purchase in the mat on the floor and he was really thankful for non-skid surfaces. He really didn't want to explain to her family how they had slipped and fallen in the shower.

Her breath began to hitch as she neared orgasm and he felt himself near the precipice as well. One more strong thrust and she tumbled over the cliff into orgasm; he slowed, refusing to be drawn in with her. Evan clenched his teeth as she shuddered around him and waited until she started to come down from the heights before he began to move a little faster. He knew from experience that once she came it was easier to take her over again. This time he was going with her.

She locked sex-clouded eyes with his as she finished and whispered, "Come for me, grá. Come with me." Unable to deny either her words or the pull of her body, he emptied himself into her with a low-throated groan. She shuddered through a smaller orgasm with him, clinging to him.

Limp with relief, he pressed her against the wall, resting his head on her shoulder. She petted what she could reach, mixing her caresses with nonsense words and kisses. After a few minutes, he had recovered sufficiently to pull away far enough to change position so he could kiss her. He grinned at her when they broke the kiss. "Now that's a good morning," he told her, then yelped as the water that had been hitting his back turned ice cold. Their post-coital cuddling turned to curses and scrambling as they disengaged and tried to get out of the shower without hurting each other.

Evan grabbed Aiden's hand and pulled her to him after they had dried off and wrapped themselves in towels. Kissing her gently, he rested his forehead on hers. "I love you," he told her as he drew back slightly.

She looked at him, puzzled. She knew he loved her, although he was more given to actions than words. "I know, grá. I love you, too."

"Thank you for..." he waved towards the shower.

She grinned at him and then pulled away, opening the door. "You don't have to thank me for being horny," she told him before leaving the bathroom.

"So when is this infamous football game?" he called to her as he wiped off the mirror to shave.

She came back to the doorway, having put on jeans and a bra. "This afternoon," she answered as she pulled on the shirt she had in her hands.

Evan turned to look at her, but changed what he had planned to say when he saw what she was wearing. "That's my shirt," he pointed out.

"Yeah. So?"

"I wore it yesterday."

"I know. It smells like you." She entered the bathroom, stretching up to kiss him. "I'll see you downstairs."

Evan shook his head at the particularities of her mind before turning his attention back to not cutting himself with his razor.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, but there's another break coming up right after this and a scene change. So I decided to end it here. #giggles# More meeting the family._

_Warning: Slight sexual content, but nothing as graphic as the last chapter._

_Standard Disclaimer: Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me, they belong to MGM, Gekko, Scifi and whomever else created them (cuz I can't remember at the moment). Aiden and her annoying family do. And I am so claiming Hunter! But I'm giving him to my "Daren" for Christmas. I'm not making any money off this._

* * *

When he pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen, he was startled to find Daren wrapped in the arms of another man, enthusiastically kissing him. "Um, s-sorry, I-I'll just..." he stammered and started to back out of the kitchen.

The two men broke apart and Daren motioned him forward. "No, Evan. Come on in. Sorry for embarrassing you. Hunter just got home."

The other man, a good five inches taller than both Evan and Daren, smiled and held out his hand to Evan. "Nice to meet you," he said as he blatantly gave Evan a once over. "Oh, darlin'," he said over his shoulder to Daren, "he's gorgeous. Look at all those loverly muscles. Your sister's tastes have definitely improved."

Daren laughed as Evan's ears turned red. "Hunter, don't be such a queen and stop scaring the straight boy." He smacked his husband on the butt as he asked Evan, "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"No," Evan replied, trying to ignore their interactions. "Aiden said she'd meet me downstairs. I was actually looking for her."

"I haven't seen her yet, but why don't you have a seat and I'll warm up some waffles for you? Mom made a fresh batch before she went out on her morning ride," Daren explained.

Hunter linked his arm through Evan's and drew him towards the breakfast nook. "Yes, come, sit, and tell me all about those strong, young, muscular men you command. I promise not to bite." He winked at Evan. "Unless you ask real pretty."

"Hunter!" Aiden exclaimed from the doorway. "Hands off!"

Hunter spun around, releasing Evan, and crossed the room in quick strides. Sweeping Aiden into his arms, he cried, "Baby girl!" and kissed her firmly on the lips. He slung an arm around her shoulders after setting her down and demanded, "Where did you meet this absolutely yummy man?"

Shaking her head, she looked up at him. "Nice to see you haven't changed, Hunt," she said dryly. "You okay, Ev?"

"Little shell-shocked," Evan replied, "but I think I'll live."

"Hey, he didn't jump or go for a sidearm, sis," Daren said from the counter where he was putting together plates for them all.

Aiden grinned wickedly. "Yeah, he's a bit more relaxed now." She giggled as Evan's ears turned red again. "You're cute when you blush," she whispered to him as she slid onto the bench next to him.

He looked over her head and saw that the two men had their backs to the kitchen, then leaned down and nuzzled her neck, nipping and kissing the spot behind her ear that always made her squirm. "Keep it up," he whispered in response, "and I'll take you back upstairs and show you just how unrelaxed I am."

She leaned into his side, using the cover of the table to slide her hand up his leg to his crotch. "If that's a threat," she breathed, "it's a really bad one." She cupped him through his jeans, pressing when she felt him start to harden.

"Geez, Aiden," he groaned under his breath as he quickly grabbed her hand before she could go any farther. "Your brother's right there."

"You started it," she replied in a normal voice as she pulled her hand out of his. Evan tried not to be annoyed at how unaffected she sounded.

"Started what?" Daren asked curiously as he set two plates down in front of them. Hunter followed with two more and the couple slid onto the opposite bench.

"Nothing," Aiden replied, reaching for the butter. "What was the big emergency yesterday, Hunter?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: So I was going to post a couple of chapters tonight, but now I'm not so sure because the computer is being stubborn and won't read my bloody disc! If I get a chance to try to email it to myself from another computer, I will try to add another chapter or two tonight. I am internetless for the next few days (until Friday), but I can get mail at work (just can't answer it)...so drop me a line and as soon as I can, I'll get back to you._

_Standard Disclaimer for Evan Lorne. I think everyone else in this chapter belongs to me._

* * *

Evan looked at Aiden as they gathered on the porch that afternoon for the football game. "So I'm assuming this is touch football since the kids are playing?" he asked.

"Hell, no," Eddie responded as Aiden laughed. "Just don't hit the kids very hard. Aiden, on the other hand, is fair game."

Aiden smacked her brother on the shoulder as he vaulted off the porch and jogged over to join the rest of the group. "So what are the rules?" Evan asked as they joined the group.

"Couples and twins can't be on the same team," Hunter answered. "Other than that," he shrugged, "try not to break anything."

"Patrick," Sean called, "stop trying to figure out the perfect dimensions. This isn't one of your theory classes. There will _not_ be a test!" He rolled his eyes as he looked at Aiden. "I bet you didn't miss this."

She grinned at him. "Yes, Sean, I even missed Patrick's fussiness."

The oldest Bancroft brother finished pounding the stakes that would mark the field into the ground and jogged back to the group. "You're the one that would complain if the field was too short, Ian," he pointed out as he set the hammer on the porch.

Sean waved his left hand at his brother. "I'm Sean." He looked around. "We ready to play now?" Evan watched as the siblings and the others quickly sorted themselves into two groups. Sean waved to him when he saw that the other Air Force officer wasn't moving. "Come join our team," he invited. "Us fly boys gotta stick together."

Aiden laughed as Hunter picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, dashing towards the center of the field. "We're gonna win this year," he yelled. "We've got our secret weapon back!"

Evan looked over at Daren who was laughing at his husband. "Secret weapon?" he asked.

Daren shook his head and controlled his laughter. "That's what Hunt calls Aiden. The first year he played with us, Addy almost took his head off with a throw. Since then he's refused to play opposite her." He glanced over at the other man. "Have you ever seen Aiden throw?"

Evan nodded. "I've been on the wrong end her temper a couple of times. She does have a wicked arm."

As the two teams lined up, Eddie called, "And for those of us who are just dumb grunts, remember there is no yelling in foreign languages. English only on this field!"

"And no swearing," Patrick added as Hunter bent down to hike the ball to Aiden.

"Aw, you take all the fun out of it," Aiden complained as Hunter snapped her the ball.

Evan found himself so caught up in watching her dodge her brothers and nephew that he completely missed Eddie headed right for him. The next thing he knew he was flat on the ground, looking up at the blue sky, with the bigger Marine on top of him. "Ug," he gasped and blinked his eyes to make the stars disappear.

Eddie grinned down at him and rolled to the side. "Sorry, Lorne. Didn't mean to hit you that hard," he apologized, but Evan doubted he was really that sorry. Eddie bounced to his feet and offered his hand. "Let me give you a hand up."

"Hey, Eddie," Aiden called from where she stood. "Try to leave my boyfriend in one piece. I kinda like him the way he is."

Daren waved Evan over as they lined up again. "If Aiden stays true to form, she's gonna drop back and then throw the ball to Eddie," Daren whispered quickly. "Tackle her."

Evan nodded and focused on Aiden again, this time not allowing himself to be distracted by her. When she got the ball this time, she dropped back away from her teammates and then sideways looking to pass the ball. Evan dodged around Gabrielle and Fiona, then grabbed Aiden around the waist, taking her to the ground. He twisted as they went down, managing to end up on the bottom to cushion her fall. She grinned down at him, tossed the football over her shoulder, and kissed him hungrily.

"Hey!" Daren called. "I didn't tell you to tackle her so they could try to score, Evan. Stop fraternizing with the enemy."

Evan broke the kiss and looked up to see that Fiona had scooped the ball up from where her aunt had tossed it and darted into the end zone. "You little devil," he said to Aiden. "You let me tackle you!"

Aiden laughed and pushed herself off him. "I figured you'd flip me," she said. "And I figured Daren would tell you to tackle me." She kissed him quickly. "You're so easy sometimes." With another laugh, she bounced to her feet and rejoined her teammates as her brothers on Evan's team called for a replay on the illegal scoring.

Evan caught the ball that Patrick tossed him as he rejoined his own teammates. "Sorry, guys," he told them sheepishly.

Sean clapped him on the shoulder. "It's okay. Hunter does stuff like that to Daren all the time." He glanced at Bridget and then finished in a low voice, "Just try not to think with your balls again."

Daren glared at his brother. "So says the man who's never had a relationship last longer than five months. It's a whole different story when you're getting laid regularly, brother."

"Could we not have this discussion in front of my four year old?" Patrick asked.

"Hey," Eddie called. "We playin' football or BS'ing?"

"Playin' football," Daren called back.

The teams arranged themselves again and Evan found himself facing Aiden. She grinned at him and wiggled her fingers. He shook his head at her antics, glad to see her relaxed and enjoying herself, and refocused on the game. The teams went back and forth several times, passing the ball between teammates, but neither side really got the advantage. Evan had to admit the game was fun though, especially with the insults the siblings called back and forth to each other.

Evan had just gotten the ball and was dashing for his end zone when he heard cry behind him. He turned to see what was wrong and saw Aiden, Patrick, and Fiona gathered around Gabrielle. He quickly passed the ball laterally to Bridget and told her to run to the end zone while everyone was distracted, then he jogged back to the group. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Aiden had a disgusted look on her face. "Nothing," she answered. "Gabby's fine."

"Aiden, don't call me that," the woman responded. "And I'm not fine." She waved her hand at her sister-in-law and wailed, "I broke a nail!"

Daren and Hunter had joined them by then and Hunter groaned at her words. "Gabrielle, you'll live. Man, even I'm not that big a queen."

"Well, I've had enough of this barbaric game. And so has Fiona. We're going in," Gabrielle snapped in response. She swept her daughter up in her wake and the two of them departed.

Patrick shrugged at the departure of his wife and oldest daughter. "Hey, at least they played for a little while. Gavin, go join your aunt's team."

The boy grinned. "Okay. They're winning anyway." His former teammates groaned as the boy skipped across the field to the other team.

As they started to re-arrange themselves with the re-division, Eddie called, "Replay on the last score."

Sean frowned. "Why? We scored fairly."

Eddie snorted. "Oh, yeah, Lorne handing Bridge the ball is real legal. We replayed when he tackled Addy, we replay this."

Before the two brothers could start bickering in earnest, Patrick stepped in. "Just replay the last snap and stop arguing." He shook his head and muttered something about men behaving like boys.

The teams set up again and Hunter prepared to hike Aiden the ball. She looked up at the sound of the vehicle pulling into the driveway, then dropped the ball Hunter had just passed her and bolted for the Jeep, yelling, "Mike! Mike!" Everyone turned to watch as a blond man about Aiden's age got out of the Jeep and she threw herself into his arms, almost knocking him back into the Jeep in her enthusiasm.

Evan frowned as the man rightened himself and laughed at something Aiden said. He kissed her on the lips, but didn't linger; although it was still long enough to make Evan see green, then motioned to the Jeep. Aiden leaned her head inside to speak to someone, but kept one hand on the man. "Huh," Daren said as he wandered over to stand next to Evan, "wonder how Mike found out that Addy is home."

"Who is he?" Evan asked as casually as he could. He shoved his hands in his pockets because what he really wanted to do was stalk over there and rip Aiden away from the man, then drag her upstairs and remind her who's lover she was.

Daren grinned and Evan could swear the other man was reading his mind. "His name's Mike," he answered, then was interrupted as Aiden turned from her conversation and called, "Evan, come here."

Daren grabbed Evan's sleeve as the older man started to walk away. "I wouldn't let Addy see your jealous face," he advised before turning back to the others to get the football game started again.

As Evan walked over to where Aiden stood, he wiped all expression from his face, masking his emotions with the perfect blank face he had developed over the years. He felt a tug at his heart as he noticed Aiden's smile dim as he got close enough for her to see his expression so he forced a smile onto his lips.

Aiden's arm fell away from where it had been wrapped around the man's waist and she took a step towards Evan, physically distancing herself from the other man. As she looked up into Evan's face, he knew she was trying to read him. "Who's your friend?" Evan asked, trying not to let the coldness he felt color his voice.

Aiden frowned at him, which told him he hadn't succeeded in fooling her and he had better be careful if he didn't want to face her wrath later. "This is Mike," she introduced the man, "and his wife, Jenna." The woman still in the Jeep waved to him. "Mike and I went to high school together and have been best friends since sophomore year. Mike wanted me to see their babies." She had stared at Evan during this whole explanation and he felt himself relaxing at her words. "Mike, this is Evan, my Āme soeur."

Evan started at her words, not sure the other man would understand, but the hostile look on Mike's face faded at her words and he stepped forward to shake Evan's hand. "Welcome to the family," he said, then turned to Aiden. "We can't stay, we're headed over to Jenna's dad's. Your mom said you weren't in town long though so I wanted to be sure we stopped by."

She hugged him again. "I'm glad you did. The babies are beautiful." She leaned into the Jeep again to speak to the woman in the passenger seat.

Mike turned to Evan. "Take good care of her. I know she can be a bit of a handful, but you're a lucky guy."

Evan smiled down at Aiden as she slipped an arm around his waist. "I know," he answered simply.

Aiden bumped him with her hip after Mike had driven away. "So what was with the green-eyed monster?" she asked.

"What'dya mean?" Evan replied as they turned and began to stroll back towards the house.

She pinched his waist. "Admit it, grá, you were jealous that Mike was touching me until you found out he was married."

Evan tucked her in tighter against his side. "I'm still not used to you being so physically affectionate with other people."

"Well, don't worry, I love and want only you. Mike and I have always been just friends." She began to walk away from him as she finished speaking.

Deciding that he needed to stake his claim, even if the one he wanted to prove it to was gone, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Aiden threw her arms around his neck as she molded herself to him and willingly opened her mouth to his demands. Evan kissed her hard, more forceful than he normally was, but wanting her to remember that he had the power to make her body sing.

When the catcalls from her brothers penetrated his lust-clouded mind, he pulled away from her. He felt his ears turn red as Aiden buried her face in his chest. "Sorry," he whispered to her.

"Damn, I'm not," she replied. "Although your choice of times and locations could have been better."

He choked back a laugh as Hunter clapped him on the back. "Shit, Evan," the other man said, "that made me hot and all I was doing was watching."

"Hun-ter!" both Aiden and Daren cried.

Hunter shrugged, unrepentant as Evangeline came out onto the porch. "Y'all need to wash up for dinner," she called.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: So I actually seem to be making pretty good progress on this, although I am not sure I will actually have it finished before Christmas (although I'm hopeful). I realized re-reading this the other day that Aiden's family might be a bit confusing...so here is everyone listed by name and how they are related:_

_Evangeline and Wesley are Aiden's parents_

_Patrick is the eldest brother. His wife is Gabrielle._

_They have in order: Gavin (10), Fiona (8) and Bridget (4)._

_Next is Eddie who is unmarried; he was in a relationship with a woman named Sylvia who has broken up with him again._

_After Eddie comes the actual twins; Ian and Sean._

_Ian is married to Adeline who is eight and a half months pregnant with their first child._

_Sean is unmarried and has no current significant other (yes, my choice of words is deliberate and yes you will understand that later in the story)._

_Last of the brothers is Aiden's Irish twin (meaning he is ten months older than Aiden), Daren who is married to Hunter (they were married in Hawaii so it is a legal domestic partnership)._

_Hope that helps everyone keep the family in order._

_Standard disclaimer for Evan Lorne and Atlantis, I think I own everyone else in this chapter. Any foreign language is translated at the end._

_Oh, and I don't own Colby Granger, Charlie Eppes, Don Eppes, or Charlie's book either. I just had to sneak them into this story though. :-) Yeah to Numb3rs, my other favorite fandom!_

* * *

After dinner, they gathered in the family room where an enormous tree had been set up. Evan sat down in the over-sized easy chair, then moved over to make room as Aiden curled up beside him. Around them, the rest of the family settled in; the couples together and the kids on the floor. He brushed Aiden's hair aside, unusually she had taken it out of the braid after the football game and now he was free to indulge himself and play with it. She smiled at him, then turned to watch as Ian hovered around Adeline; making sure his wife was settled before sitting down on the floor beside her.

Wesley handed Evan a pint of beer and his daughter a glass of wine as he played bartender for the family. Once everyone had drinks, including Shirley Temple for the three children and the pregnant Adeline, he joined his wife on the love seat, then nodded at his youngest granddaughter. "All right, Bridget, you can start handing out the gifts."

The young girl scrambled under the tree, dragging out packages and handing them out, enlisting Gavin or Fiona's help when she couldn't read the name on it. Evan was surprised when she lugged over a large package and dropped it in his lap, then returned a moment later with another slightly smaller package. "Mom added your name to the grab bag when she heard you were coming," Aiden explained when he showed her the larger package which was from Sean. "And the other one is probably from her and Dad." She grinned as a third package was dropped into his lap. "That one's from me."

He eyed the package like it was a bomb Murray had cobbled together. "Is it safe to open in front of your family?"

She grinned. "Yes. The non-safe stuff I saved for tomorrow."

He indicated the smallest package she held. "That goes with what I got you for tomorrow." Aiden had explained to him that the family celebrated in a big group on Christmas Eve, leaving Christmas Day for the couples and smaller family groups to spend together so he had planned accordingly.

Aiden picked the box up and shook it, frowning. "It's not very heavy."

What Evan had intended to reply was interrupted by Patrick calling, "Aiden, you went way over the limit."

"No, I didn't," she replied. "I called in a favor and used air miles."

"What did you get?" Ian asked, curiously.

Patrick held up the book. "Charles Eppes's book _The Attraction Equation: Being Popular is as Easy As Pi_, tickets to his LA lecture in April, and two plane tickets to get there. And the book is signed. How, Aiden?"

Aiden sighed. "I paid for the plane tickets using frequent flier miles that were going to expire. As for the rest...do you remember me mentioning a guy named Colby Granger?"

Patrick shook his head as Sean snapped his fingers. "Yeah, I do," Sean said. "The Army guy you met in Afghan."

Daren nodded. "Oh, yeah. The buff one you spent that weekend..." He stopped when he noticed both Hunter and Evan glaring at him. "Oops."

"Army guy?" Evan asked, looking down at her. "Weekend?"

Aiden out a hand on his arm to calm him. "I'll tell you about him later. It was a long time ago." She turned back to her brother. "Anyway, Colby's with the FBI now, working in LA. His boss is Professor Eppes's brother and he's good friends with the professor. I paid for the book, Colby had Eppes sign it, and then when he told Eppes who it was for, Eppes gave him the tickets. Colby said to give him a call when you got to LA and he'll see if he can arrange dinner or something with Eppes."

"Aiden already spoke to us," Evangeline broke in. "Dad and I will watch the kids while you're gone so you and Gabrielle can have a nice weekend away."

Patrick crossed the room to his sister, leaning down to give her a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," she replied.

"What did you get, Evan?" Daren asked.

"I didn't open them yet," Evan replied.

"Well, open them," Aiden said as she began to pick at the tape on her own packages.

Sean watched anxiously as Evan unwrapped the book on the history of the Air Force Sean had picked out for him. "I hope you can take that back with you," he told his fellow pilot. "That it doesn't put you over your weight limit."

Evan ran his hands reverently over the cover. "I'll figure out a way to take it back even if it does," he assured the other man. "Thank you, Sean."

Aiden looked at it. "We can stick it in with my books. I haven't hit my weight limit yet this trip."

As Evan unwrapped the package from her parents, he asked, "What did you get?"

Aiden showed him the basket she had gotten from Hunter that was filled with soaps, scented lotions, and other pampering products, and also a leather bound journal that she told him was from her parents. She held the small box that contained the present from him. "What is this?" she asked, shaking it gently.

"Don't shake it," he admonished and she stopped abruptly. "You'll have to open it and see." He pulled the last of the wrapping paper off his package and revealed three drawing pads of various sizes and a box of oil pastels. "Thank you very much, Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft," he said as Aiden examined his prize.

"Addy explained that you like to draw," Evangeline replied. "I know Sean and Eddie have trouble getting luxuries when they're overseas so I figured you probably had similar issues."

Evan nodded. "We're allowed to request a certain amount of personal items, but they are generally pretty far down on the re-supply list."

"And the military boys are always more excited about the things that go boom," Aiden pointed out.

The men in the room laughed at her comment. Daren leaned his head back so he could look up at her from where he sat on the floor. "Open the box from Evan," he demanded.

Aiden frowned at the brother she was closest to emotionally as she struggled with the ribbon. "Why?" she asked.

"I wanna see what you got," Daren answered as Evan pulled a Swiss Army knife out of his pocket and sliced the ribbon that was frustrating her.

Aiden frowned as she pulled the lid off the box and found a piece of paper inside. "What?" she asked Evan.

"Oh." Hunter grinned. "Maybe it's an IOU for a kinky sexual act you asked him to perform."

Daren bopped him on the head with a rolled up poster that someone had given him. "Hunter, there are children present," he scolded.

Aiden ignored her brother-in-law to concentrate on Evan, who looked distinctly nervous. He shifted as much as he could in the chair and nudged the box with the hand that wasn't wrapped around her. "Just open it. Please."

Aiden plucked the paper out of the box, but looked at Evan again before unfolding it. "Hunter's not right, is he?"

"Gah, Aiden, no!" Evan replied, aghast.

She grinned, glad to see his nerves has disappeared in the face of his horror. "Just checking." Nimble fingers unfolded the paper and she read it silently.

"What's it say?" Daren prompted.

"Morning's light will bring more clues. Follow them if your heart is true. At the end, you will find something that you were told would come in time," Aiden read aloud. She traced the heart Evan had drawn with the Atlantis 'gate symbol inside it. Nestled underneath the paper was a charm. She pulled it out of the cotton it had been wrapped in to discover it was the Ancient symbol for light. She laughed at the sight of it. "Is this why you wanted me to teach you?" she asked Evan.

"Partially," he admitted, "but I'm also tired of having no idea what you're saying when you swear at me."

Aiden kissed him sweetly as her nieces and nephew squealed, "Ew!"

"When I want you to know what I'm saying, I swear in French, grá," she whispered.

Daren took the charm from her and examined it. "This is pretty," he told her as he handed it back. "What does it mean?"

"Light," Aiden answered.

She considered the silver charm as Evan pulled a box out of his pocket. "This goes with it," he explained, opening it and showing her the chain.

Aiden handed him the charm, then lifted her hair out of the way. "Put it on for me?" she requested.

Evan strung the charm, then settled it around her neck as Wesley said, "All right, it's time for all little boys and girls to go to bed or Santa won't come tonight."

Laughing, the siblings got up and began to tidy up. After a few minutes, Evangeline, Wesley, Eddie, and Sean shooed the couples and children out of the room. The two brothers assured their siblings they would help their parents finish cleaning up.

* * *

_grá--love_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's note: So here is where a tiny of Aiden's past comes back to bite her in the ass. A much larger return of jealous!Evan from a previous chapter. Gotta admire the way Aiden deals with him though._

_Standard disclaimer for Evan and also for Colby._

_This was previously posted in livejournal on lorneporn if it seems familiar to anyone. And once again Aiden's ramblings are translated at the end._

* * *

Evan dumped his presents into the chair when they reached their room. "So are you going to tell me about this Colby and the weekend you spent with him?"

"There isn't much to tell. I met him while I was working in Afghan. We spent a weekend together learning languages. The deal was he would teach me Spanish and I would teach him Arabic."

Evan gave her a puzzled look. "You don't speak Spanish."

She grinned at him and then leaned over to kiss him. Drawing back, she told him, "Colby doesn't speak Arabic either. Evan, it was a long time ago. Before I met you. I haven't seen him since, and the only reason I called him was to get the book for Patrick. We talked, we caught up, and I mentioned my absolutely gorgeous boyfriend about twenty times. Relax, you have nothing to worry about."

He watched her as she began to strip off her clothes. "So how long were you with him?"

She shrugged and watched his eyes migrate from her face to her breasts which were still bound in her bra, but uncovered other than that. "We spent the weekend together. Then he went back on patrol and I went back to translating radio transmissions. Evan, it was a nice stress reliever, nothing else." She unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, shimmying out of them and watching as his eyes tracked her movements. "We stayed in touch periodically after that, wrote letters back and forth. It was just a friendship other than that one weekend. He was a lonely solider and I liked having a pen pal." She came around the bed to him, running her hands down his chest and then back up. Unbuttoning his shirt as she spoke, she continued, "Evan, you knew I wasn't a virgin when we got together. I didn't sleep around a lot, but Colby was a good guy and it was purely in fun." She grinned up at him as she eased his shirt off. "And you know very well I love men both in and out of uniform."

"Aiden, I just..."

She stepped back and rooted around in the box that she had given him. Items spilled out onto the chair; candy, pencils, and other silly little things that she knew he missed when they were on Atlantis. Deep in the bottom of the box were a couple of condoms that she had put in as a joke, figuring that he wouldn't dig very deep into the box while they were downstairs. She pulled one out now and showed it to him, holding it up between her fingers. "Why don't we use this and maybe a few more of them? And you can forget I ever knew a guy named Colby Granger."

"Aiden, you put condoms in a box that I was opening in front of your parents?!" he yelped.

She giggled and grabbed him by the belt loops, pulling him towards the bed. "Make love to me, grá. Make my body sing and my heart remember the man it loves." As they tumbled together onto the bed, she whispered to him, "Mé grá tú le sibh acroí, Evan Lorne."

He shuddered against her, the sound of her voice cooing Irish endearments in his ear had always been a turn-on and when he knew what she was saying, it hit him deeper. Those words were a phrase she said often enough that he had asked her what it meant and it had touched him deeply when she told him the translation. Now he rolled them both so she was on top and reached for the hooks on her bra. She twisted to avoid his hands, laughing as he tried to reach for her again. He dropped his hands as she grinned and shook her finger at him. "No?" he asked. "What'dya mean no?"

She pressed herself against his erection, drawing a groan out of him. Leaning down, she brushed her still covered breasts against his bare chest as she kissed him. Drawing back, she replied, "I didn't say no. I wanted you to slow down."

"I can do slow," he assured her as he reached for her again.

She grabbed his hands and pushed them away, pressing them against the mattress until he relaxed and nodded that he wouldn't move them. "Let me," she told him. When he lifted his hands again, she glared at him. "Evan, please."

He held them well away from their bodies so she would see he wasn't reaching for her. "You don't want me to touch you yet?" he asked and she nodded in reply. "Then I'm going to put my hands behind my head so I'm not tempted, okay?"

Aiden watched as he put his hands behind his head, shifting his body underneath her until he was comfortable. She considered him after he was settled, then grinned. "That's way hotter than it should be," she told him as she swept her gaze down him.

He bucked up towards her, pressing himself into her core and it was her turn to groan. "Then do something," he responded. "Or I'll take my hands down."

Still grinning, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and reached behind her body, flicking her bra open with practiced fingers. Evan's blue eyes darkened with lust as she leaned forward again so that it slipped down her arms. His arm muscles tightened as he resisted moving his hands to touch. In reward, she slipped her bra the rest of the way off, then leaned down and kissed him forcefully, dragging her breasts across his chest again. She pulled back after a few minutes, then leaned down and ran her tongue across his nipple drawing another groan from him. As she sat back up, she pressed herself down against his erection. "Where'd the condom go?" she asked as she slittered down his body.

"Are you really planning to use that?" he asked as he picked it up from where it had landed when they fell on the bed. "Did your chip run out or something?"

She shrugged as she ripped the package open. "My chip's fine. Jen checked it before we left. I dunno, I bought a couple as a joke. If you don't want to use it, it's fine. Although I would like an explanation."

"Can I touch you?" Evan asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head. "No. Try to explain it to me with words first." She knew if he touched her, she would forget their discussion and just make love to him.

"You are the stubbornest woman I have ever met," he told her.

"And you love it. Now explain, please." She ran her hands across her beasts, manipulating her nipples until they stood out and watched his eyes track her movements, then grabbed a t-shirt from beside the bed. "Or I put the shirt on," she threatened.

Evan tugged the shirt out of her hand and tossed it away. "Oh, no, not that," he replied with a smile. Then, as he tucked his hands back behind his head, he turned serious. "You're the first woman I've had a relationship with that's lasted longer than a year." He put a finger on her lips when she started to open her mouth. "Just listen." He closed his eyes for a minute because he knew she could read him very well, then opened them so he could watch her as he spoke. "A lot of it was because I was transferring around frequently as I moved up the ladder. And then I was transferred to Colorado and everything had to be kept so secret that it just wasn't worth trying to find a relationship."

"And then you went to Atlantis," she said softly.

"And then I went to Atlantis," he confirmed. "And eight months into that tour, I met this absolutely stubborn, infuriating, confusing, mind-boggling, gorgeous woman that I fell head over heels in love with." He reached up and brushed her hair back, winding his fingers through it and she was so enraptured by his words that she didn't object to him breaking their deal of no touching. "Being inside you, feeling you around me with no barriers between us, that is the greatest gift you could ever give me," he whispered to her. He slipped the condom out of her fingers and placed it on the nightstand. "So unless it's a danger to you or me, I'd prefer not to use that thing." He levered himself up enough to kiss her gently, then lay back down. "I never thought I'd be lucky enough to find my Āme soeur."

"Jesus, Evan," she breathed. "I thought you said you were no good with words."

He shrugged as much as he was able. "What can I say? You inspire me." He gripped her hips and pressed her down against him, showing her that their conversation hadn't softened him at all. "Now were you planning on talking all night? I believe you said something about making me forget you had slept with another man?"

Aiden grinned, running her hand down his chest to the edge of his jeans. "First we have to get these off." Evan started to reach under her to undo them, but she batted his hands away. "Allow me," she told him. She slid back so she was sitting on his thighs and ran her hands over his erection, molding it. She flicked the button open and toyed with the zipper, watching him with half-lidded eyes.

"Aiden," he groaned. "You're killing me."

"Well, we can't have that," she replied, moving to the side and slowing easing his zipper down. "Because then neither of us will get any satisfaction."

Only the knowledge that she would eventually stop tormenting him allowed him to restrain himself when what he really wanted to do was flip her over and drive himself deep inside her. He lifted his hips as she pulled his jeans and boxers off in one motion, then turned to straddle him again. "Wait," he told her.

She paused, holding herself above him. "What?"

He took her hand and placed it on his erection, then closed his eyes tightly as she squeezed. "Aiden," he warned. "Don't." He placed his hands on her hips and guided her into place. He groaned as he slid slowly into her, allowing her to set the pace since she was so tight.

When he was fully inside her, she paused, looking down at him. "Is that what you wanted?" she asked him.

"Aiden, I swear to god, if you don't do something soon, I'm gonna take matters into my own hands," Evan told her from between gritted teeth as she squeezed her internal muscles.

She grinned down at him as she began to move, then stopped again. "Oh, you think so?" she asked with a saucy grin.

Knowing that she was partially doing it just to torment him, Evan ran his hands up her sides and pulled her down towards him. Capturing her lips, he drew her into a kiss and when she began to relax against him, he flipped them over. She squealed as they tumbled over, but he was careful to cushion her so that his weight didn't land full-force on top of her. As much as he wanted her, he still didn't want to hurt her. Shifting, because he had slipped a little when they turned over, he began to move. He wanted to take it slow, wanted to prolong this, but she had tormented him for too long and he had been too close even before he slipped inside. Now she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer as he drove inside her, whispering to him in Irish. He couldn't really understand the words, but he knew from her tone of voice that whatever she was saying was probably dirty. Her voice spurned him on and he began to move faster, quickly bringing them both to climax.

She ran her hands down his back, soothing the tremors that wracked his body in the aftermath. Murmuring softly to him, she waited until he seemed to be back with her. "You okay?" he asked, nuzzling the side of her neck.

"Ooooh, yeah," she groaned in response.

He pulled back so he could look her in the face, she didn't normally sound so dazed after wards. "Aiden?" he questioned.

She shook her head to clear it and looked up at him, her eyes still clouded. "Yeah?"

Evan pulled out carefully and rolled off her, then gathered her to him. "Are you all right? I didn't hurt you, did I? I got a little rough there at the end."

Aiden stretched within his arms and smiled up at him. "Evan, grá, I'm fine. Very, very satisfied. I'm going to be a little sore, but all that's going to do is remind me of you." She kissed him gently. "You didn't hurt me or at least not permanently. You're too careful with your strength to ever do that."

He brushed her hair back, running his fingers gently through it and trying not to get them caught. "I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you."

She guided him up against her, nestling their bodies together. Even thought he was well satisfied by their love-making, his body tightened at the feel of hers so intimately pressed against his. "You wouldn't ever hurt me," she assured him confidently, then added sleepily, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered in reply, but she had already drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_grá--love_

_Mé grá tú le sibh acroí--I love you with all my heart_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: And Merry Christmas a few days early. Gotta love Aiden's response to her brother running in here. Although honestly it was Daren's own fault._

_Oh, a special thank you to my friend Daren, who let me borrow his name for Aiden's brother. And who told me I was a cruel, cruel woman when I described Hunter to him._

_Standard disclaimer for Evan Lorne. I think I own everyone else (well, the real Daren is his own person, but I own this Daren!) Oh and I mention the new planet that the city is on--that's not mine either. There doesn't seem to be an actual planet name for the new planet, but whoever does the transcripts for gateworld had the same idea I did for calling the planet New Lantea so I decided that made it okay to use it._

* * *

Aiden rolled over in bed, puzzled that she felt cold. Normally the only time she was cold was when Evan got called away in the middle of the night, but that shouldn't be happening here. She opened her eyes and started to sit up to look around for him when her door burst open and Daren ran in, catapulting himself onto the bed. "It snowed!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her and bounced her around, then pulled back as he realized what she was wearing. "Augh, Addy!" he yelped. "You're naked!"

Aiden rolled her eyes and motioned for him to get off the bed and turn around. Once he did, she got up and quickly pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt. "I generally sleep naked when I'm with Evan," she pointed out. "We don't have people bursting into our quarters for stupid reasons. Normally when they burst in, someone's attacking and no one notices we're not dressed." She sat down on the chair next to the bed and began to pull on socks. "Any idea where Evan is?"

Daren dropped back onto the bed, lacing his hands behind his head as she laced up her hiking boots. "Nope," he answered and thought to himself that he really wasn't lying to her, he didn't know exactly where Evan was right now, although he had a pretty good idea. He took one hand out from behind his head to motion towards her nightstand. "There's a box with your name on it," he told her.

Aiden glanced over at the nightstand to see that a small box had replaced the condom Evan had set there the night before. She leaned forward and scooped it up, saying, "What did you do with Hunter?"

"He went for short ride with Mom and Eddie. They'll be back soon enough." Daren glanced at his watch. "Actually they should be back any minute." He noticed that she was just holding the box. "You planning to open that?"

"It's very light," she commented as she lifted the lid to reveal a piece of paper and another charm. She lifted the charm out; this time it was the Ancient symbol for memory, before turning her attention to the paper. After reading it, she remarked to Daren, "Evan is up to something."

"Why would you say that?" Daren asked, swinging his feet around so he wasn't lounging on the bed anymore.

"You can't do innocent, Dar, so knock it off," Aiden replied as she stood up.

"What's the new note say?" he changed the subject.

"'Memories are precious and sweet. I treasure each one we've made since the day we met. Understanding the past is part of your life; the answers you seek in the books of before.'" She held up the charm so he could see it. "And the symbol is memory."

Daren got to his feet. "Sounds like he wants you to go to the library."

Aiden graced him with a look that meant he was being unbelievably dense. "No shite."

Daren grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, aleathchśpla," he told her.

"Merry Christmas, aleathchśpla," she responded.

They separated in the hallway; Daren taking the back stairway down to the kitchen while Aiden went down the front and across the hall to the library. Her parents were seated in of the fire; enjoying coffee and sticky buns. Aiden leaned over and kissed them both good morning, wishing them a merry Christmas, before seating herself on the rug in front of the fire. "Did you have a nice ride, Mama?" she asked.

Evangeline nodded. "I did." She smiled down at her daughter. "I'm surprised to see you this morning. I assumed you'd be sleeping in with that pilot of yours."

Aiden frowned in response. "I thought something similar. Unfortunately I can't seem to find my pilot. Daren came bouncing in a little while ago and Evan was no where to found."

Wesley looked up from the paper he had been scanning. "You don't sound too concerned."

AIden shrugged and picked at one of the sticky buns. "If he had gotten called back to work, he would have woken me. I figure he either got shanghaied by my brothers or he's gone off to do something and he'll find me later."

Evangeline ran her hand down Aiden's head, smoothing her hair like she often had when Aiden was a child. "It sounds like you really trust this man," she commented. "I'm glad to see you've found someone who seems to love and care for you as much as he does. Although I'm sorry you're going to be so far away from us."

Aiden leaned into the caress. "With five older brothers and Dad, I had to go pretty far away to not have him run off as soon as he showed any interest." She pulled away and looked up at her parents. "I'm glad you like him. I was nervous about bringing him home to meet y'all."

"Is that why you haven't been home since you took this job?" Wesley asked.

She shook her head. "No, we really are that insane at work. It's not easy to get time off and with Evan being the second in command of the military component, it's even harder for him to leave. And honestly I don't like to be separated from him."

Her parents exchanged looks above her head and then Evangeline took a box out of her pocket and handed it to Aiden. "He seems like a good man, Addy. Be happy in your choices," she told her daughter.

Aiden turned the box over in her hands. When her mother had first handed it to her, she had thought it was another present from them, but now she realized that the ribbon was the same type that had tied the other boxes from Evan. "Where did you get this?" she asked as she untied the ribbon and opened the box. She had begun to recognize them as ribbons from a trading mission they had gone on recently with the team.

"Evan gave it to me and asked us to give it to you when we saw you," Wesley explained. "What does the note say?" he continued when she spilled the contents into her hand.

"'Warriors are our life and your protection. You aren't a warrior by trade, but you have learned to protect the ones you love. The first one who taught you to shoot will always have my thanks for the skills he imparted have saved my life and yours more than once.'" Aiden read. She passed the charm to her mother. "It means warrior," she told her. "And it looks like I need to go find Eddie."

Evangeline passed the charm back to her daughter and watched as she added it to the chain around her neck where two other charms already hung. "Eddie's out at the target range your dad set up. He wanted to get some practice in this morning."

"Thanks, Mom." Aiden stopped in the front hall and slipped on outdoor gear, complete with hat and a pair of gloves. Although it wasn't that cold for Kentucky, she was used to the warmer climate of M35-117 which the Expedition had taken to calling New Lantea. She also knew the target range was a pretty fair hike from the house. The snow wasn't deep enough to really make walking difficult and there wasn't a wind blowing so Aiden shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and followed Eddie's tracks.

* * *

_aleathchúpla--my twin_


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Nothing like bonding with the family. Has anyone figured out what Evan is up to?? Okay and I don't actually shhot which is why this is a little sparse on actual shooting details. Also the terms they use to alert other people are just ones I made up, to me they seem like common sense things and since honestly they would be mixing three branches of the military there's reason to believe they would make up their own. (Their dad was Army in case no one knew that)._

_Standard disclaimer for Evan Lorne and all things Atlantis and SGC._

_Just a side note because it is important here: Eddie went to Atlantis as part of a replacement group. He had a rough time there, requested to be transferred back to Earth and Lorne pulled some strings to get him bounced back sooner than normal at Aiden's request. I'm not going into more detail here because I am actually working on a story that details this--including Eddie and Lorne's actual first meeting and what happens. Eddie now works for the SGC on the teams (haven't decided which one yet--but he's a Marine.)_

* * *

She heard him before she reached the range; the steady regular fire of a shooter comfortable with what he was doing. She paused for a minute to listen, remembering his patience as he first taught her gun care, then stance, and finally how to shoot until it all became second nature.

Aiden stopped as she came to the windbreak that had been built out of plywood and hay bales to wait until Eddie stopped firing, then called, "Non-shooter on range."

Eddie glanced over, cleared and put his gun on safety, then removed his ear protection. "Gun is cold," he called back. Setting the gun on the stand provided, he grinned at his sister. "Merry Christmas, pipsqueak."

"Saugt dir ein Ei, Eddie," she replied with a smile, then added, "Merry Christmas."

"Did you just insult me?" he asked as she joined him on the range and took the ear protection he held out to her.

"No, of course not," she responded. "How come you didn't go see Sylvia this morning?"

Eddie slammed a new clip into the nine millimeter he had been using and handed it to her butt first. "Because Sylvia has decided once again that she does _not_ want to date a Marine." He nodded approvingly as she checked the clip herself. "She broke up with me for the third and final time after I got back from Atlantis."

Aiden sighed. "Why didn't you say anything? I didn't realize she had dumped you again."

He shrugged. "It wasn't that big a deal, Pip. I really wasn't expecting it to last. Especially when I couldn't tell her where I was for six months."

She winced. Eddie had had a rough time on Atlantis and they had gotten him home as soon as they could, but it had still taken time. She had been glad to see the return of the brother she remembered on this trip home because the brother that had left Atlantis had been a shattered shell of the man she loved. "I know the feeling. I hate lying to everyone."

He rested a hand on her shoulder. "It happens. Now let's see if you've been practicing."

"Live shooter!" she called even though they were the only two on the range. Aiden took a deep breath as she raised the gun, reaching inside herself for that calm place she went to when she was practicing. After years of regular practice with Wall and Murray and irregular practice with McFadden, she no longer jumped when the gun fired. She emptied the clip quickly and confidently, then safetied the gun and set it down. She tugged her ear protection off and called, "Gun is cold!"

Eddie nodded towards the lock box that was nearby. "Go ahead and put it away."

"You aren't going to shoot anymore?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll take one of the horses out after we check your target."

Aiden frowned. "Didn't you ride with Mama and Hunter earlier?"

"Doesn't mean I don't want to ride again. I don't get to ride much when I'm at the SGC. Lock it up and let's check your target."

Aiden shrugged and did as he instructed, closing the gun up in the box. Eddie flipped the railing up and they both walked onto the range. As they ambled down towards the targets, Eddie pulled a box out of his pocket. "Lorne asked me to give this to you."

Aiden turned the box over in her hands, before untying the ribbon and putting it in her jacket pocket. She opened it as Eddie examined the target. "Nice shooting, Pip," he said as he stuck a finger in one of the holes. "Nine of them in the bulls-eye. You've definitely improved."

"Mark and Owen drag me to the range at least once a week. And Evan and John instituted a policy not long after you left that all civilians have to qualify on firearms every three months or they're banned from off-world travel for six months. If they fail to qualify three times in a row, they're shipped back to Earth for good."

He nodded. "That's actually a really good policy."

"Too many lives depend on us being able to defend ourselves, especially with children on Atlantis now." She looked out across the fields, trying to block the memories of the last few months from replaying in her head. "It's been bad recently. Worse than when you were there. Evan and I have been lucky that we haven't lost any of our core team, but we've lost a lot of people overall."

Eddie put an arm around her shoulders. "We've seen a lot of your aftermath coming through the SGC, but I guess we didn't realize it was that bad."

"A lot of the time we don't have anything to recover. It's not that we don't try, but there's little or nothing left," Aiden replied. "Evan and I sat down with the IOA when we first got back to Earth this trip and laid it all out for them. John and even Woosley sent video messages asking for aid." She shrugged. "I don't know what, if any, help we're going to get, but at least we're asking."

Eddie nodded, he wasn't high enough in rank to be one of the ones involved in the begging, but he always heard the scuttlebutt. "Well, I guess something good has come out of you going to Atlantis," he said, leaning against the target.

"What's that?" Aiden asked as she stopped fiddling with the box and took the lid off it.

"You met Lorne."

Aiden looked up from the charm she had discovered and another piece of paper. "What did you just say?" she asked.

"You met Lorne," he repeated.

Aiden stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted two heads. "Eddie, did you hit your fucking _head_ on something?!"

Eddie laughed, glad to see that his sister hadn't changed. "Hey, I'll be the first to admit that I think he's a pain in the ass fly boy and that I don't like him," he paused and turned serious, "but I've seen the way he looks at you. That man would die for you, Aiden, and I can't honestly ask for more for my little sister. So despite him being fucking _Air Force_...you can keep him."

Aiden sputtered for a minute, then finally said, "I'm glad I have your approval to keep him, Eddie, since I didn't intend to throw him back like an undersized fish."

Eddie nodded. "Just so we understand each other. Now what does your note say?"

Aiden unfolded the piece of paper and read it aloud. "'Trust does not come easily to you, even though you always had the trust of your family behind you. Despite this, you trusted me from the first and I will always cherish that faith you give to me. Go now to the first person you gave your trust to and thank him for me for teaching you to trust in me.'" She looked down at the charm in her hand and then up at Eddie. "So Daren is next. Any idea where he is?"

"Probably in the kitchen. Come on, I'll walk you back to the house."

The two siblings walked in silence back to the house. Once they reached the back porch, Eddie nodded towards the stable. "I'm going to head out. You be okay to get inside?"

"Yes, Eddie, I think I can manage to get inside the house that is eight steps away all on my own," Aiden said sarcastically.

"Glad to hear that, Pipsqueak," Eddie replied and with a wave, he took off towards the stables at a leisurely lope.

* * *

_Saugt dir ein Ei--Go suck an egg (yeah it just sounds so much more insulting in German)...Thanks to Fair Trade Organic on the correction of formal to informal._


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's note: And now Aiden gets to talk to Daren and sort of to Hunter. I honestly love the interactions here because you get a look at what Aiden is like with her family. And that filter Evan is always wanting to install is even more absent than usual! This also gives you a good look at how Aiden views Evan and her relationship._

_I can't post the next chapter until I figure out what Aiden got Evan for Christmas so if anyone has any suggestions, drop me a line. I've been struggling with it for months and still can't figure it out._

_Standard disclaimer for Evan...although I'm sorry to say he's still not evident in this chapter. Next one, I promise!_

* * *

She screeched in response which caused Eddie to laugh and wave over his shoulder. Aiden let herself into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Daren looked up from the book he was reading at the noise, although Hunter didn't stir from his position. She grinned to see Hunter laying with his head on a pillow in Daren's lap. It wasn't an unusual position for the two men. Daren raised an eyebrow at her. "Evan piss you off?" he asked casually.

"Not today. It was Eddie," she answered as she crossed the room and dropped onto the bench across from the two men. "What'cha reading?"

Daren put a bookmark in book and shoved it to the side. "_The Three Musketeers_. I'd rather talk to you. Have you had a good morning?"

"Other than I think my boyfriend is sending me on a wild goose chase, yes. I talked to Mama and Dad, then went out and shot with Eddie. Now I'm talking to my favorite brother."

Daren grinned as Hunter gagged. "Oh, I can cut the sappiness with a knife."

"Like you can't be just as sappy, Hunt," Daren retorted. "Why don't you get my sister and me some coffee?"

"Nah, I'm comfortable," Hunter answered lazily.

"I'll get it," Aiden said before the two could start bickering. She got up and quickly poured coffee for the two of them, then added milk to Daren's. Coming back to the table, she sat back down and handed Daren his mug. "Have you been really busy at the hospital?" she asked.

Daren shrugged. "It goes back and forth, you know how it goes. Some nights we don't see anyone for hours and other nights we barely have time to catch our breath." He took a drink of the coffee and grinned at her. "But I don't want to talk about work. Tell me more about this yummy Air Force officer you brought home with you. We heard how you two met, but how did he ask you out the first time?"

Aiden smiled, remembering their first time. "Ah, he didn't actually ask me out. We just kinda started seeing each other."

"Really? Aiden, come on, spill. I want details. How much of him did you see?"

"Dare, stop trying to live vicariously through your sister," Hunter butted in.

Daren tapped his husband lightly on the head. "You hush up, Hunter. I want details, Addy, darlin'."

Aiden laughed. She had known she would get drawn into this or a similar conversation with Daren at some point. "I had been working with Evan and his team for about five months at this time. Two of the guys had brought a tray of food to my office when I didn't show up for dinner, but I had a pretty bad headache and didn't think it looked appetizing so I just left it alone and kept working. Evan came down to check on me, offered me a massage to relieve my tense muscles, and the next thing I knew he was kissing me. A little more of that, endorphins kicked in, and we retired to somewhere a little more private. And those are all the details you're getting, big brother."

"Geez, and you say I'm a slut, sis," Daren commented. "You slept with him before you even had a date?!"

"Hey, I'd known him for five months under some pretty intense circumstances. You slept with Hunter the night you met him cuz you were drunk and horny."

Hunter snorted. "She's got a point there. And don't hit me again."

Daren pouted for a minute than asked, "Fine then. So what is the most romantic date Evan has ever planned for you?"

Aiden played with her coffee cup for a few minutes, then answered, "Evan's not really a romantic type guy. I mean don't get me wrong, we've had dates when they haven't been disrupted by emergencies, but they've been pretty standard things. Dinner, maybe a video in his or my quarters or lately our quarters, Evan keeping me company as I work and he does paperwork." She shrugged. "I just wouldn't call any of those overly romantic." She took a sip of coffee. "Don't get me wrong, I love Evan, and he's fantastic to me. I don't doubt that he loves me. And he does do all sorts of things for me just not what most women would think of as romantic."

Daren shifted Hunter's head in his lap so that it lay more comfortably and rubbed the other man's hair gently. "Like what?"

"He makes sure I eat regularly. If he sees something come across his desk that he knows I'd be interested in, he tries to get our team in on it. I was complaining one day that I was having a horrible time keeping artifacts organized and cataloged. So he had Deke design this fabulous program that lets me input, search, log; pretty much do everything, but translate it for me."

Daren grinned, knowing how unorganized his sister was. "Sounds like it wouldn't be romantic to other people, but it works for the two of you." He dug the box he had hidden out of the corner of the bench and slid it across the table to her. "Be happy, Aiden."

Aiden set the trust charm on the table next to the box Daren had just given her. She hadn't wanted to add it to the chain outside for fear of dropping it in the snow. Now she looked at both the charm and the box warily. "What is Evan up to?" she asked.

Daren sighed. "I can't tell you," he answered. "Just..." he paused, "just _trust_ that he won't hurt you." He indicated the box. "That's the last one. Read the note, and no I don't know _exactly_ what it says, and then go to him. He's scared and he's nervous, but he's doing this for the two of you."

Aiden stared at Daren for a moment; sometimes she forgot that beneath his joking and clowning, Daren could be a very serious man. She reached across the table and grasped his hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you," she said simply and she knew that Daren understood everything she didn't say.

Daren smiled as he squeezed her hand back before releasing it. "Ya found one of the good ones, sis."

Aiden lifted the lid off the box and pulled out the now familiar piece of paper and another charm. She set the charm down beside the one she had gotten from Eddie and unfolded the paper. Hunter sat up and scooted the final charms across the table. "What do these two mean?" he asked.

Aiden pointed to them as she identified them, "Trust and love."

Hunter held out his hand. "Here, I'll put them on the chain for you."

Aiden handed over the chain that held the other three charms Evan had given her, then as Hunter added the new ones, she read, "'Words can never be enough to express all that you mean to me and all the love I hold for you. Sometimes I don't want to close my eyes at night because that means I sleep away time I could be spending with you. When we first got together, I thought that loving you would make me weaker, but you've made me a stronger man and a better officer. Merci, mon amour, pour moi aimante." She flipped the page over and frowned. "But this doesn't give me any clue as to where I go next."

Daren and Hunter exchanged speaking glances, then Daren answered, "He's in the hayloft."

"The hayloft?" Aiden repeated.

Daren shrugged. "It was one of those 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' things. He's waiting for you."

Aiden took her necklace back from Hunter as she got up from the table. "I guess I'll get his presents and go meet him."

Hunter shook his head. "He's already got them. Just head on out."

Aiden glared at the two men as she struggled back into her jacket and zipped it up. "You two know what Evan is up to and when I find out, I'm going to skin you both."

Daren grinner. "I would of thought that four plus years with Marines would have made your threats more inventive, sis."

Aiden smiled ferally. "Daren, you don't _want_ me to get inventive."

Daren took in the look in his younger sister's eyes and decided he was very glad she wasn't allowed to tell him exactly what she did for a living. "You're right, I don't," he decided. "Evan is waiting for you in the hayloft. Go torment him."

Aiden pulled on her gloves as she left the house, but decided she really didn't need her hat to run across the yard to the stable. When she entered the building, she paused to stamp the snow from her boots and inhale the aroma that still meant home to her although it had been a long time since she spent any major amount of time here. The stable had been recently cleaned, even though it was Christmas, leaving just the scent of horses and fresh hay behind. She spied Eddie leaning against one of the stalls as he chatted with Regan, their groom, and marched up to the two. Taking off one of her gloves, she smacked Eddie on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he complained as he flinched away from her. "What was that for?"

"For calling me pipsqueak _again_ and for lying to me," she replied. "Merry Christmas, Regan."

Regan smiled in response to her greeting, well used to the bickering between the siblings. "Merry Christmas, Aiden," he replied, before turning back to speak to Eddie, "Thanks again for the help, Ed. I'll see you later." With a wave, he began to walk away from the two.

"No problem, Regan," Eddie responded, then realized the other man was walking away. "Wait! You're leaving me alone with her?!"

Regan laughed and called back over his shoulder, "You made your own bed with her and I have no wish to get caught in the crossfire."

Eddie turned to find Aiden glaring at him, her hands on her hips. "Why did you lie to me?" she demanded.

"I didn't lie to you. Exactly," he replied. "I _was_ planning to go for a ride, but Regan needed some help cleaning up so I changed my mind."

Aiden looked at him suspiciously. "So you have no idea what Evan is planning?"

"Nope, not a clue," Eddie lied blithely, then continued, "But he's up in the hayloft."

"Up in the hayloft," she mimicked. "It seems I've heard that somewhere before."

"Well, why don't you go bug him then?" Eddie grumbled.

"Fine. I will," Aiden snapped back. She stamped away from her brother; knowing she was acting like a spoiled brat, but unable to prevent herself. Although she appreciated the notes and the charms from Evan, she would have rather spent the time with him than chasing all over the farm following clues and trying to find him. She was glad she had gotten the chance to talk to her parents and Eddie and Daren, but now she really wanted to spend time with Evan. Part of the reason she had wanted to bring Evan home with her was to spend some uninterrupted time with him; time when they wouldn't have to be concerned that he would be called away to the next emergency or crisis, but she felt like she had barely seen him since they had arrived at the farm.

* * *

_Merci, mon amour, pour moi aimante--Thank you, my love, for loving me._


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: And now what you've all been waiting for. Evan's gift to Aiden! Sorry this took so long...I have some difficulties figuring out what Aiden was giving Evan and I couldn't post this til I figured that out. Then with the holidays, I had a lot going on. I went down south (well south for me) for an overnight to see one of the best bands ever! at their first Stateside Christmas show. Despite some setbacks in recent weeks, they rocked like always and it was great to see them! (I'm referring to the Tartan Terrors for those of you who don't know me very well.) But that was about eight hours in the car in two days with no opportunity to write and very little computer time. Then of course when we (cuz eagles my cousin attended the show and then drove home with me) got home again we had Christmas Eve and now Christmas with the family. I got my notebook taken away at church (don't ask--it was a large issue that almost caused a fight in the middle of the service) so I couldn't even work then. Oh and the line Aiden uses at the very end to Evan is for my sister. It's an inside joke._

_I just want to add a special thank you to my friend, Sir Dent for the poem that Evan uses here. Like Evan my poetry sucks and Sir Dent often assists me when I need poetry. _

_Other than that, standard disclaimer on here for Evan Lorne and anything actually Atlantis related. Anything else belongs to me!_

* * *

Evan looked up from his book as Aiden's head cleared the floor of the hayloft. He scrambled to his feet and went to help her the rest of the way up. "Bonjour, amour," he greeted her, kissing her lightly on the lips. When her feet were steady on the floor, she smacked him on the shoulder. "Ow!" he exclaimed and then unwittingly echoed Eddie's earlier words, "What was that for?"

"For leaving me alone in bed, having my brother find me naked, and then for having me chase you all over the farm," Aiden complained.

Evan looked down at her. "Do I dare ask _which_ brother found you naked?"

Aiden shrugged. "It was Daren so no big deal. What's going on here?"

Evan took her hand and led her over to the nest he had made out of blankets and hay bales. After settling her down, he went around and sat down himself, pulling a bottle of Ruus wine out of the basket he had stashed there. "I had hoped to go for a horseback ride and have a picnic with you, but it's a little cold out."

Aiden accepted the glass he held out to her and took a sip. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" she asked jokingly. "And how did you get permission to bring this along?"

Evan grinned. "Teyla gave it to me when I explained what I was doing and John okayed it; provided only you and I knew about it." He began to pull things out of the basket and arrange them on a low table next to where they sat. He nodded to a box and a rolled scroll that lay close by her hand. "That's for you," he told her.

"Evan, don't you think you've given me enough?" she asked, lifting the chain and showing him the charms.

"Last one," he promised. "Open the paper first."

Aiden frowned as she untied the ribbon around the scroll and unrolled it. The writing was done in beautiful calligraphy and around it Evan had made a border of alternating Ancient symbols; the same ones on her charms. In the bottom right corner, he had drawn a picture of the two of them. Aiden recognized it as one of her favorites. Deke had taken when they were on an easy mission. Aiden had been fascinated by some cave pictures she had found and had been studying them intently. Evan had come up behind her and put his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder so he could see what had ensnared her attention. That was the pose Deke had captured. Although Evan had clearly done the actual sketch in charcoal, he had treated it somehow so it didn't smear as she touched it. As her fingers absently rubbed across the picture, she read the poem written in the center:

_My love for you extends beyond the stars_

_Passion burns inside me when you are near_

_It's a great honor to even have met you_

_But a greater blessing to be with you here_

_My spirit changed so much when we first met_

_You are always in my mind and my heart_

_I desire to be one essence with you_

_To live life full as we never depart._

_It's my desire to know you feel the same_

_To learn if you will ceaselessly be mine_

_I fervently ask you to marry me_

_Eternally after our hearts to entwine. _

When she finished reading, she looked up at Evan. "You didn't write this," she accused.

Evan laughed softly. "Not by myself, no. Murray helped me with the wording." He reached across the space between them and took her hands, lacing his fingers through hers. "But that's not an answer to my question."

Aiden looked at the box that sat on the table next to them, now sure she knew what it contained. "Are you sure that's the question you want to ask?" she replied quietly.

He looked deeply into her eyes. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life," he answered her seriously.

"Evan, I..."

He put his finger over her mouth. "Stop. Don't think. You think too much. Just listen and then answer." He kept his eyes locked with hers as he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Caught up in his spell and wrapped in the cocoon he had created for them, she did answer without thinking, "Yes."

Evan broke into a wide grin. "See that wasn't so hard," he told her. He reached over and snagged the box, opening it and presenting it to her. "A diamond didn't seem appropriate," he explained as she looked down at the ring, "but if that's what you want, we can get one." He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on the correct finger, continuing, "It's called a Briolette cut emerald." He waited with bated breath as she examined the ring that now rested on her hand. After a few moments, he prompted, "Aiden, you've never been shy about expressing your opinion before."

"It's beautiful," she answered. "This whole thing; the notes, the charms, you planned all that?"

He nodded. "I was planning to do it on Atlantis, but after the trip came through, I did some quick switching. Daren was a big help, both before and after I changed my plans."

She admired her ring as he made up a plate of food for her. "That's kinda scary that Daren was a big help," she commented.

"Your brother is a good guy," Evan replied, handing her the plate and then starting to make up his own.

Aiden tugged him down beside her. "You put plenty on here for both of us, why don't you share with me?"

Evan wiggled them both around until they were seated comfortably and could both reach the plate that Aiden held. He picked a shrimp from the plate and guided it to her mouth. "So did you have a nice talk with everyone?" he asked.

Aiden nodded and picked a piece of cheese to feed him. "I did." She smiled proudly. "I shot with Eddie and got nine in the bulls-eye. He says I'm improving."

"You'd better be improving," Evan grumbled. "You spend enough time on the range with the Marines."

Aiden ran a hand up his leg. "Are you jealous of me shooting with the boys?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not really that. I wouldn't be the right person to work on your shooting with you."

"Are you telling me I try your temper?" she teased.

He looked down at where she lay sprawled between his legs. Even though she wore jeans and a sweatshirt, not the most sexy of clothes, he could still feel his body tightening with desire. He dipped his hand underneath her sweatshirt, running his fingers along the band of her jeans. "No, I'm saying my mind would definitely not be on your stance or on what you were aiming at."

She twisted in his embrace so she could look up at him and grinned. "So in other words, you're saying I'm distracting."

He leaned down and captured her lips in a heated kiss. "From the moment I met you," he answered when they finally broke for air.

Aiden giggled as they began to pick through the food in earnest. Evan had been too nervous earlier to eat breakfast and Aiden had spent her entire morning chasing after his clues so both of them were hungry now. After they had eaten their fill, Aiden retrieved Evan's gifts from where he had set them and insisted he open them.

Evan looked at the packages he had transported up to the loft with the other stuff. "So I'm still trying to figure out how one of these could be less safe than those condoms," he commented.

Aiden indicated the largest of the packages. "I can guarantee you wouldn't want to open that one in front of my parents."

He picked it up and unwrapped it, lifting the lid off and separating tissue paper. Inside lay a mixture of colors; red, black, navy blue, and green. "Aid?" he asked, lifting one out with his index finger and thumb. He held them up and realized what they were. "Boxers?"

Aiden grinned at his expression. "Silk boxers," she confirmed.

He blushed and dropped them back into the box. "Okay, you win. I wouldn't have wanted to open that in from your parents." He eyed the rest of the packages with trepidation. "Should I be worried?"

"Nah. I think everything else is pretty safe," she replied, laughing softly.

He set aside the smallest box and opened the three packages that were about the same size, revealing books on military history. He paused for a moment to flip through them. "Adding to your weight limit?" he asked.

She shrugged. "That's up to you. I didn't get many books this trip and whatever Daniel is sending back with me doesn't go under personal. I don't have a problem with you using some of my book weight."

He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Thank you."

She picked up the box he had set aside and handed it to him. "Last one."

Evan turned it over in his hands. The box was about the size of the ones he had given Aiden, although he doubted it contained the same thing. Aiden watched him silently as he slipped the paper off and opened the box. Nestled inside was a heavy linked silver ID bracelet with the words _Mé grá tú le sibh acroí_ etched on the plate that would normally have the name. He ran a finger over the words then placed the same finger under Aiden's chin and drew her closer. The kiss started out soft and gentle, but when Aiden lost her balance and tumbled into him, he deepened the kiss as her body came up flush against his. When she drew back, he handed her the box. "Put it on me?" he requested.

He drew back the sleeve of his sweater as she took it out of the box. As she fastened it on his wrist above his watch, she repeated the sentiment engraved on it, "Mé grá tú le sibh acroí. I love you, Evan Lorne. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." Turning his hand over, she kissed his palm, then folded it closed.

As Aiden began to tidy up the area, Evan looked over at her. He had set his gifts aside and sprawled back out on the blankets, but now he had a look in his eye that Aiden knew well. As she came within range, he grabbed her and tumbled her into him. With a grin, he ran his hand under her sweatshirt and began to tug it off as he kissed her. Pulling away from him, but unfortunately in her view, also pulling her sweatshirt off, she told him, "No."

He reached for her again, grinning at her. "No?" he asked. "Why no?"

"'Cause making love in a hayloft is not as romantic as it sounds or looks in the movies," she answered, backing out of his reach. "Besides we've got a perfectly good bed inside. Nice and large and soft."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do I really want to know if you have personal experience with that?"

"Me? No," Aiden responded. "But I've got five older brothers. I know for a fact that at least two of them have tried it." She held up a hand when he started to say something. "And, no, you don't want to know how I know that." She leaned down and kissed him, snagging her sweatshirt when he was distracted. "Now if you want to continue this inside, I'm all for it," she said when she broke away.

It took him a few minutes to refocus on what she had said because all of his blood had rushed south. "Aiden, your parents are in the house. Along with at least two of your brothers," he pointed out.

Aiden leaned over and kissed him again, lingering over their connection. "Evan, lover mine, they are well aware that we are having sex." She grinned down at him. "Now are we going inside?" she asked.

Evan reached up for her and pulled her down, winding his fingers in her hair as he kissed her again. He grinned when he released her and looked at her state of dishabille, feeling manly pride that he was the one that had made her that way. "If going inside is the only way I'm getting more than kisses," he replied pushing to his feet, "then let's go."

Aiden looked around at their nest. "What about all this stuff?"

"Regan?" He continued when she nodded at the name. "He said he would come up when we left and clean the stuff up and leave the basket and stuff in the kitchen."

She nodded. "Regan's a good man." She scooped up the scroll and rolled it carefully. "This is going with us though."

He smiled. "I'm going to leave my presents for Regan to gather if its all right." He piled them together when she nodded. "I do have a question for you though."

"What?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Why is there a table up here?"

Aiden laughed out loud. "We used to play up here as children. Mama's parents owned the farm when we were kids and we would often spend summers here. One summer, Daren and I decided to have a tea party so Grandpa built us a table. After he built it, we realized there was no way to get it down the ladder so it stays up here."

Evan kissed her on the forehead. "That's a good memory, amour. Thank you for sharing it with me."

Aiden smiled and if there was a twinge of sadness to it, Evan pretended not to see it. "All you have to do is ask," she said softly. "I'm happy to share them with you."

They made their way down the ladder, then hurried across the backyard and into the kitchen, hand in hand. Daren looked up from his book as they entered the kitchen. "I see you found him," Daren commented.

Aiden happily waved her hand at him. "I found him...and something else," she replied.

Daren got up and captured her hand so he could study the ring. "It's beautiful, sis," he told her. "He has nice taste." He grinned down at her. "But then again he chose you."

Aiden grinned over her shoulder at Evan. "Yeah, I think he chose well too."

Evan grunted noncommittally and said, "Yeah. We were headed somewhere. You coming, Aiden?"

"Nope. Not even breathing hard yet," she replied without missing a beat.

She laughed as Daren cracked up and Evan looked like he had swallowed his tongue. Daren clapped the other man on the back when he stopped laughing. "You've known her for five years and the things that come out of her mouth still surprise you?" he asked.

Evan gave Aiden a look of long suffering. "I thought we had successfully installed a filter," he replied dryly.

"Nah. Never happen," Aiden replied, taking his hand and tugging him towards the stairs. She waved over her shoulder at Daren. "Bye, Daren. Ignore any noises from my room."

Daren settled back down at the table with a grin. "Will do, sis," he called to her as he picked his book back up.

* * *

_Bonjour, amour--Hello, love_

_Mé grá tú le sibh acroí--I love you with all my heart_


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: And just cuz I feel guilty about not updating before this and because I'm not sure when I will get around to updating again, I'm adding a second chapter today. Enjoy. And let me know if you think Aiden is as crazy as Evan does. :-)_

_Standard disclaimer--Evan Lorne and Atlantis don't belong to me. Aiden does. Not making any money off this (just cuz I haven't mentioned that lately)._

* * *

Half-asleep, Evan rolled over in bed, then woke up completely when he realized he was alone. He sat up in bed and looked around for Aiden, finally spying her curled up in the window seat. He got out of bed, snagging the blanket that lay folded on the end of the bed. Aiden shifted to make room for him and he wrapped the blanket around both of them as he settled in. "Geez, Aid, you're freezing," he said and began to rub her arms briskly to warm her up.

She leaned against him, pliant, and allowed his movements and body heat to soak into her. "I hadn't noticed," she answered softly.

Satisfied that she was warming up now, he kissed the top of her head and pulled her back against him. "Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice. The night seemed to lead itself to quiet conversation and he was loath to break the tranquility.

"Just thinking."

He shifted her to a more comfortable position. "About?"

"Just thinking," she repeated. "Wondering if you had any thoughts on where or when we were getting married."

"Doll, you can be a force of nature at the best of times," Evan answered dryly, "and I figured this would be something you'd have definite ideas about. I hadn't made any plans other than to let you make all the plans you want."

"I don't want to be the one making all the plans and then have you disappointed."

He nodded, understanding her point. Both of them had been hurt in the past by miscommunication so they tried to talk to each other before major decisions. "How about this?" he asked after thinking for a moment. "You tell me what you would like and I'll tell you what I had thought of. And we'll kinda work it out in the middle. Maybe we can each pick three things we definitely want and won't compromise on. Like if you definitely want traditional vows or something."

Aiden snorted at the thought of her demanding traditional anything, but laced her fingers though his underneath the blanket. "I like that idea," she replied.

When she didn't say anything for a few minutes, he nudged her and prompted, "So? Ideas?"

"Trying to figure out how to make the first one possible," she answered.

"Tell me," he responded.

"I want to get married on Atlantis," she started slowly, obviously thinking through how to phrase her idea, "but I also want my parents and brothers and their families there."

"Which can't happen on Atlantis," he concluded. "Give me a moment." After he thought about it, he sighed, "I only see one solution. We're going to have to have two ceremonies. One here and one on Atlantis."

She twisted around in his embrace so she could look up at him. "You'd do that for me?"

"Babe, I'd move heaven and earth for you if that's what wanted and I could figure out how to do it. I think I can manage saying 'I do' twice."

She kissed him quickly, but enthusiastically. "I love you," she told him. "Think we can pull it together and have the ceremony before we go back home?"

Evan looked at her in horror. "In less than eight days?"

"Less than five," she corrected. "I was thinking New Year's Eve."

"Aiden, you're nuts!" he exclaimed.

She shook her head. "No, we could do it. I was thinking something really simple; just exchanging vows in the judge's chambers. It would be legal, just not very fancy."

He nodded, seeing her point. "And clothes?"

"A dress for me wouldn't really be an issue. I can just go into town and buy something nice. Mom, Hunter, Adeline, Jenna, and I could go shopping tomorrow." She sighed and snuggled against him. "As much as I'd love you in your blues, I suppose I'll have to settle for a suit."

He wound a lock of her hair around his finger. "I might be able to pull a few strings and get a set of blues," he told her, "but I'm not promising anything."

"So then rings. We can go shopping for them later. I'll ask Daren to be my witness. You need to choose someone and get them here. Dad'll make the arrangements with the judge if I ask him to and I'll do that tomorrow. And we need to let my brothers and parents know. I'd like Mike and Jenna to be there, too. Do you want to call your parents?"

He shook his head even though she couldn't really see him. "No. I'd just rather not get into it with them. I'll talk to them about it later. So that's it? No other plans we need to make?"

"Unless you've changed your mind with how quickly everything is moving. I can go dress shopping and such tomorrow. Then on Tuesday we can go looking for rings."

He nodded. "Sounds good. Can I ask one favor?"

"Absolutely."

"You explain to your parents and brothers why we're rushing this wedding."

She giggled. "Not a problem," she assured him, kissing him lightly on the lips.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Evan moved, trying to get feeling back into his limbs. "You think you can sleep now?" he asked her. When he didn't receive an answer, he brushed her hair aside and discovered she had fallen asleep. With a sigh, he shifted around until he could lift her comfortably, then he heaved and got to his feet. Moving her again so her head rested on his shoulder, he carried her over and deposited her on the bed. He maneuvered her around until he could pull the blankets up over her, then slid into bed behind her. Within seconds of laying down and pulling her into his arms, he followed her into sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: So with the holidays I've been writing but not typing. I managed to get some of the back stuff typed up today and since I've managed to frustrate myself with live journal, I decided to post this. Poor Aiden, if the team isn't picking on her, her family is. ;-) And sometimes, she acts before she thinks._

_Standard disclaimer: Evan doesn't belong to me, Aiden and her insane family does. Not making any money...more's the shame cuz I'd rather be making money writing than go deal with customers tonight._

* * *

Aiden smiled at Evan as he entered the kitchen. "I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day," she greeted him.

Evan took in the table which had catalogs and fabric swatches spread across it. Aiden, Hunter, Adeline, Evangeline, and Jenna were all seated around it and had obviously been in the midst of a large discussion that his entrance had interrupted. "Someone woke me up at o'dark thirty," he reminded her. "What's all this?"

"We're trying to pick color for Addy's dress," Evangeline explained.

"I gather you told them?" Evan asked.

Aiden nodded in response. "Yes. I figured after our discussion you wouldn't mind." She tilted her head up towards him. "Kiss?"

He obliged her, then asked, "Do you need me for any of this decision making?"

"Nope. Why? Did you have some plans?" Aiden pointed at a swatch of fabric and shook her head. "Hunter, I am _not_ wearing black to my own wedding. And don't tell me it's the new pink, 'cause I'm not wearing that either!"

"I thought I'd drive over to Sean's and talk to him for a little while," Evan answered when she was finished instructing her brother-in-law.

"Why?" Aiden questioned as Adeline spoke up, "Sean went back to the base last night. You'll have to go there to see him."

"I just need to talk to him, Doll," Evan told her. "He's at which base?"

"He's at Campbell," Evangeline replied. "But they don't generally allow visitors without prior approval."

Evan smiled. "That's not a problem, Evangeline, but thank you for the warning." He turned to Aiden, locking eyes with her to be sure he had her full attention. "You remember the number of the cell I picked up?" He had written it down for her and shown it to her, which generally meant she remembered it, but numbers were a little less likely to be imprinted than words. She nodded in response. "Okay, you call me if you need me. Otherwise I'll be back in a few hours."

Aiden grinned up at him. "Grá, I always _need_ you."

Evan rolled his eyes and hoped her mother didn't catch the sexual innuendo in Aiden's voice. "You knew what I meant," he complained.

Her grin got wider at his discomfiture. "Ev, you're so easy. Go play with the fly boys. I'll call you if I have a question for you."

He leaned down and kissed her again, lingering just because he could. When he drew back, her eyes were suitably glazed. "Have fun picking out your dress," he told her as he walked out of the room. Behind him, he could hear the commentary from the group on the kiss and her reaction to it. He still felt a little awkward about sleeping with her at her parents' house, but kissing her in front of them just established his claim on her.

Once in the car, he programmed the GPS and then started the car. It was a little weird to have to actually drive the car; rather than have it respond to his thoughts, but he had quickly remembered the basics. He put the car into gear, turned the radio on low so he could still hear the directions, and headed out.

(break)

Aiden pulled her attention away from watching Evan walk out of the room to find everyone at the table looking at her. She glanced around at them and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Evangeline assured her. "I just don't think I've ever seen you so blatantly stare at a man before."

"I'm allowed to stare at him," Aiden grumbled. "It's everyone else I'm not supposed to stare at."

The group laughed at her logic, then turned their attention back to the discussion they had been having before Evan interrupted. "I still don't see why you won't wear white or cream," Jenna picked up the argument and the fabric swatches in question.

Aiden held out her arm; even the strong sun of New Lantea had not managed to change the pale hue of her skin. "Because those colors will make me look bleached out and pale. Give it up, Jen, I want a bright color."

"What is Evan going to wear?" Adeline asked, fingering a swatch as she rubbed her hand across her swollen belly.

"Blues, I hope," Aiden replied. "I think that's why he went to visit Sean. Otherwise he'll wear a suit. And knowing Evan that suit will be gray or navy."

Hunter sighed as he looked over the swatches they had spread across the table. "Ya know there's really no point in us picking a color since we don't know what the store has in stock."

"So I'm guessing that means a shopping trip?" Aiden asked and when everyone else nodded, she groaned, "Oh, joy."

Evangeline patted her on the back. "It'll be fun, sweetie," she encouraged. "Go get your jacket and we'll head out."

When Aiden returned from fetching her jacket, everyone else was gathered in the front hall, except for Adeline. "Where'd Adeline go?" she asked.

"She's tired so decided to stay home," Jenna explained as they all piled into Hunter's Tahoe. "She's only got a couple of weeks left, right?"

Evangeline twisted around to answer Jenna's question and pregnancy discussions carried them through the trip into town. Hunter parked in the parking lot behind the small boutique and offered Aiden his arm as she got out. "So any idea what type of dress you want?" he asked as they strolled around to the front of the store.

Aiden shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'll have to see what they have. I want a bright color and something," she paused as they entered the store, "that'll make Evan's eyes pop," she finished.

The owner of the boutique, a woman about Aiden's age, bustled up to them as they unzipped jackets and shrugged them off. Her bright smile faded a little when she caught sight of Hunter, but she recovered quickly. "How may I help you?" she asked.

Hunter drew Aiden forward and smiled. "Addy here is getting married in a few days. This is kind of a rush because her fiance is getting shipped back out. We're looking for a dress for her."

The woman nodded, clearly thinking. "A wedding? So a white or cream or maybe a peach," she suggested.

Aiden was sure her horrified feelings translated onto her face. "No," she blurted out. When the woman stepped backwards at the force of her voice, she softened her tone, "Sorry. We've been arguing about the color all morning. I'd like a bright color because of my skin tone. And the dress should be casual fancy."

She nodded. "You said he's shipping back out? Is he military?"

Aiden smiled proudly. "Yes, he is. He's in the Air Force." When the woman seemed to be thinking, she added, "His dress uniform is blue."

The woman turned and began walking towards the back of the store, calling over her shoulder, "I think I have some ideas."

The other women with them scattered through the store, leaving Aiden alone with Hunter. Aiden turned to her brother-in-law as the woman moved out of earshot. "What was with that look?"

Hunter shrugged as he fingered a dress on a nearby rack. "I brought a couple of friends in a few months ago to get clothes for their drag show; she wasn't too happy about it."

Aiden shook her head. "Small minded people." She held her hand out. "Can I borrow your cell?"

Hunter pulled it out and handed it to her with grin. "Aw, you need to hear your man's voice already?" he teased.

She glared at him. "No." She flipped it open and punched 411. "I want to call his parents. He's not going to and I think they should know."

Hunter looked at her in worry. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Aiden held up a finger and said firmly, "English. San Francisco, California." While she waited for the person to come on, she answered Hunter, "No. It's probably not a good idea, but I also think they deserve to know." Waving Hunter away as she got an operator, she said, "I'm looking for a listing for Matthew or Olivia Lorne in San Francisco, California. It's a private residence." She nodded as she was given two choices. "The first one please. And please connect me." While she waited for the call to go through, she wandered over to the sitting area and dropped into one of the chairs.

"Lorne residence," a young sounding female voice answered.

"Hello. I'm looking for Olivia Lorne," Aiden responded.

"Sure, just a minute." The phone was obviously moved away from the girl's mouth, but Aiden still heard her yell, "_Mom!_"

A few moments later, Aiden heard a slightly older female voice, "Hello. May I help you?"

"Mrs. Lorne?" Aiden asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I know you might not know who I am, but my name is Aiden Bancroft. I don't know if Evan has mentioned me or not."

"No," she answered shortly.

Aiden took a deep breath, that made her task much harder. "I work with Evan," she started.

"Is he all right?" the woman broke in frantically.

"Huh?" Aiden replied, startled, and then realized how the phone call probably looked from the other end. "Yeah," she answered absentmindedly and then stronger, "Yeah, Ev's fine. If something was wrong someone would come in person."

"Then why are you calling me?" the woman demanded.

"Mrs. Lorne, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm calling because Evan asked me to marry him on Christmas Day. We're having a small ceremony here before we go back overseas. I thought you and your husband and Kaitlyn and Emily and her boys might want to join my family at the ceremony," Aiden said in a rush.

"Why isn't Evan calling us?" she asked.

Aiden sighed. "I don't know why your relationship with Evan isn't the closest; he's never told me, but when I asked him about calling you, he said he'd do it later. Look, we're in Kentucky. The ceremony is going to be New Year's Eve. I'll have six tickets left in your names at the airport. If all of you want to come or some of you or none, that's fine. I just thought you should know. I'm sorry I bothered you. Good-bye."

"Wait," the woman said before Aiden could hang up. "What did you say your name is?"

"Aiden Bancroft."

"And you work with Evan? So you're in the Air Force?"

"Yes, I work with Evan, but I'm not in the Air Force. I'm a civilian contractor."

"So you do what?"

"I'm a linguist. I translate things for the military."

"And you met Evan where?"

"At work. His team was assigned as security for one of the missions I went on."

There was a pause and Aiden assumed the woman was trying to think of another question. Finally she asked softly, "Do you love my son?"

Aiden smiled as she considered everything Evan was to her. "Yes, I do. Very much."

"You said you're getting married on New Year's Eve?"

"Yes, ma'am. Evan and I have to be back on base on January third. Since we were visiting my family for the holidays, we decided to have a small ceremony before we went back."

"How long have you known my son?" she asked next which was not what Aiden was expecting.

"About five years." Aiden looked up as her mother waved to her indicating that she had some dresses for Aiden to look at. "Mrs. Lorne, I have to go. I'll make sure the tickets are at the airport if you want to come. It was nice finally speaking to you." Before Olivia Lorne could say anything else, Aiden closed the phone. With a tight smile, she handed it back to Hunter. "Thanks, Hunt."

He shook his head as he tucked the phone back in his pocket. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said.

"So do I," Aiden replied, then turned her attention to the dresses arrayed for her inspection.


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: Okay for those of you from Kentucky or in the military...I took a little artistic license here. Fort Campbell really is a base in Kentucky. Its an Army post though, not an Air Force base. The companion base is Arnold in Tennessee. I don't like the name Arnold though so I've decided to use Campbell as the AFB (not to mention that when I googled US Air Force Bases, I got Campbell as a hit). So just permit me that little bit of artistic license. Also I didn't actually look at the maps or see what type of jets/planes were on base, so any description of hangers, jets, etc are all products of my insane little brain._

_Disclaimer: Lorne, Ronon, Atlantis don't belong to me. Sean and the crew at Fort Campbell do, although the actual base does exist in reality although this reality doesn't. (No idea if the people I've created actually exist so if there are people on Fort Campbell they resemble that was purely a coincidence because I've never been to Campbell.)_

* * *

As Evan pulled up to the gate for Fort Campbell, he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open to his military ID. Once the 'gate bridge had been built, all Atlantis personal had been issued new IDs that they were required to carry when they were on Earth. As the guard approached the car, Evan put the window down and held out his ID. "I'm sorry, sir," the guard said. "This is a restricted area."

Evan handed him the ID that was in his hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Evan Lorne," he stated. "I'd like to see Major Sean Bancroft if he's available."

The guard stared at the ID for a minute, then responded, "Ah, yes, sir. Ah, just a moment, sir." He started to salute, then stopped, then started again, obviously unsure what to do since Evan was in mufti.

Evan bit his tongue so he didn't laugh at the poor boy and reminded himself that he had once been that young and unsure. "Relax, corporal," he said soothingly. "This isn't a surprise inspection. Major Bancroft is my brother-in-law and I'm just visiting for a few days. Go ahead and run my ID."

"Sir, it'll be just a moment, sir," the boy replied, finally deciding to salute to be safe and hurrying back into the shack.

When he returned, his eyes were wide and his tone was even more respectful than it had been before. He also held a pass in the hand that clutched Evan's ID. "Colonel, you have open access to the base," he began and Evan wondered what exactly his ID said when the boy ran it. He'd have to make sure someone showed him when he got back to the SGC. He accepted the map and pass from the boy and glanced at the map, seeing one of the hangers had been circled. "Major Bancroft is at Hanger Foxtrot. Is there anything else you need?"

Evan double-checked the map, saw that his route was clearly marked, and shook his head. "No thank you, corporal. You've been very helpful."

The corporal saluted him again, holding it until Evan returned it this time. "Sir, thank you, sir." He stepped back and opened the gate, saluting again as Evan drove though.

Evan shook his head once he was out of sight of the gate. He knew that things were a little more relaxed on Atlantis, but he hadn't realized how much looser they were. He rarely got saluted, although he commanded the respect of his men, and even in the beginning the Marines hadn't sir'ed him that much. He pulled over so he could consult the map and be sure of the direction he needed, then took off towards the hanger.

He parked as close to the hanger as he could, then wandered in the right direction, eyes turned skyward to watch the jets. He loved Atlantis. Loved what he was doing and who he worked with (or he would have requested a transfer years ago), but sometimes he missed flying the jets. Although now that he had flown jumper, a dart, a 302, and commanded the _Orion_, he wasn't sure he wanted to go back to flying something as tame as a jet.

A deep voice interrupted his musings, "Can I help you?"

Evan turned his eyes back ground-ward to discover a man equal to Ronon in size, staring at him with hostility. In one hand, he gripped a wrench that would look huge in Evan's hand, but looked positively miniature in his. Only long association with Ronon prevented Evan from taking a step back in self-defense. Evan put on an ingratiating smile and answered calmly, "Yes, thank you. I'm looking for Major Sean Bancroft." He figured the same rules applied with this guy that applied with Ronon, don't antagonize him and look around for whoever kept control of his chain. On Atlantis with Ronon that meant Sheppard or possibly him, although Sheppard had more control over him. He hoped there was someone in control of this guy here.

"Why?" the man asked bluntly.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Evan Lorne. I met Sean a few days ago and he invited me out to look at the base while I was in town," Evan answered in the same calm voice, his eyes darting around looking for help. None of the men that were within hearing distance seemed to be the least bit interested.

"Hey, Bruiser," Sean's welcome voice called across the field. "Leave him alone. Only I get to torment him since he's gonna be my brother-in-law in a few days."

The bigger man looked confused, a look Evan suspected he wore frequently. "I thought Daren was already married to that doctor guy. Besides should you really be announcing that?"

Sean had reached them by then and he shook his head. "Lorne's marrying my sister, Bruiser. She's younger than Daren."

"You have a sister? I thought you only had brothers."

"Nope. I've got one sister. Aiden is a girl, despite the name." He nodded towards the tarmac where the jets Evan had been admiring were rolling to a stop. "Don't you have some work to do?"

"Yes, sir," Bruiser replied before turning to Evan, "Sorry, sir, for the hassles. We've had some problems on base recently."

"Not a problem," Evan assured him. He waited until the other man walked away, then turned to Sean. "You have a few minutes?"

Sean nodded. "I'm grounded today since I drank yesterday. Sorry about Bruiser. He's a good mechanic, but a bit slow otherwise." He shoved his hands into his pockets as the two of them began to stroll towards the hanger. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you talk to any of your siblings this morning?" Evan asked.

Sean nodded. "Yeah, Ian called me. Probably right after Addy talked to him and Adeline. So, yes, I know that you two are planning to do a quickie wedding." He raised an eyebrow at the other officer. "Am I going to be an uncle again?"

Evan laughed, realizing that Sean was asking out of curiosity, not because he was mad. "Not that I know of," he answered. "Or at least Aiden assures me she isn't pregnant." He stopped when Sean did and looked at the man he already considered brother-in-law. He could see the unasked question on his face. "I'm not saying kids would be a bad thing, Sean. I'm just not sure how safe they would be where we are right now and we both like what we're doing. There are kids there and its something we will talk about. We just haven't yet."

Sean nodded. "I understand that. So what do you need?"

"A set of blues and a witness."

Sean just stared at him. "The blues aren't a problem, we can go over to the quartermaster and gets those, but don't you have a friend you can be your witness?"

Evan motioned for them to start walking again. "We're going to do a second ceremony on Atla-at our base," he corrected himself quickly. "When we do, I'll have one of my friends stand up for me. But with when Aiden wants to have the ceremony, there isn't enough time to get a message to the base, permission for someone to get leave, and for the travel time to here." He shrugged. "I'd like for you to be my witness. Aiden is going to talk to Daren about being the other witness."

"I'd be honored," Sean replied. "Thank you for asking me."

"So the blues?" Evan questioned.

Sean nodded. "Quartermaster's is this way." He started off across the field, surprised when Evan quickly matched pace with him.

Evan saw his look and explained, "My CO is over six feet and so are two of the men on my team. I'm used to keeping up with longer legged men. The other two are closer to six feet than I am. Aid is the only one of my team who's shorter than me."

Sean grinned, but slowed down anyway. "I always forget that not everyone has as long legs as I do since I'm so used to matching pace with Ian."

"Do you spend a lot of time with your brother and his wife?" Evan asked curiously.

Sean gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Enough. I've been stationed here for a few years so I try to get over there when I have time. I don't have to stay on base, but my bunk is here so I normally do."

"Aiden'll kill me if I don't ask since I know she hasn't," Evan explained. "No girlfriend? Or at least none that you want to admit to the family?"

Sean looked at him as if gaging how much he should say and then glanced around to make sure they were out of earshot of the other soldiers. "Off the record?" he questioned and when Evan nodded, he continued, "Let's just say, I believe in 'don't ask, don't tell'."

Evan stumbled at the revelation, but quickly regained his balance. "You're pretty good at hiding it. I don't think even Aiden knows."

Sean shook his head. "Addy knows. And I'm bi, not gay, so I have an easier time than you would think."

Evan nodded, understanding the difference. "Your secret is safe with me."

Sean smiled. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't able to fly."

"I know the feeling. I spend a lot of time as a ground-pounder these days, but I still get some flying in."

"So what are you flying?"

"Experimental craft mostly," Evan answered as they entered the quartermaster's office. "And anything else is classified."

The quartermaster looked up from his computer as they entered the room. "Bancroft, if you ripped something again, you're going to have to fix it yourself," he greeted them.

"Not here for me this time, Matt," Sean answered. He motioned Evan forward. "This is Lieutenant Colonel Evan Lorne. He has to marry my sister in a few days. It wasn't exactly in the plans for this trip and we were wondering if he could borrow a set of blues."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You _have_ to get married? And why can't you get your blues from your base?"

Evan shook his head. "Not that it's any of your business, but, no, we don't _have_ to get married. I can't get my blues because my base is overseas and there isn't enough time."

The quartermaster nodded and typed some information into the computer. "ID?" he asked. Evan pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over. After the man entered the information, his attitude changed. "This isn't a problem," he told Evan. "Just give me a moment."

Sean looked at Evan as the man disappeared into the back room. "What does your ID say?" he asked.

Evan shrugged. "You've got me, but you can bet I'm gonna find out before I go back home."

A few minutes later, the quartermaster came back out with a set of blues in his hands. "If you give me a day or so, I can probably get some of your medals, too, sir," the man told Evan.

"Thank you," Evan replied as he took the blues from the man. "If you could get them to Sean, then I won't have to drive out here again."

"Absolutely. It'll probably take a day or so though. What day are you planning the ceremony?"

"New Year's Eve," Evan answered. "Thank you for the help."

Once outside again, Sean smiled at Evan. "That was an interesting change of attitude." He shoved his hands back in his pockets. "Well, let me know when you need me to be at the courthouse and all. I'll put in for the day off today. For now I've got to get back to the hanger. Think you can find your car and get off base?"

Evan held out his hand. "Thanks, Sean."

Sean looked at the hand for a minute, then shook it. "You're welcome. Glad I could help."

* * *

When Evan pulled up in front of the house, he was surprised to see Aiden sitting on the porch. She was wrapped in a blanket and curled up on one of the wicker love seats, her eyes closed. They opened as Evan walked up the steps. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded as he sat down next to her on the love seat. She leaned up against him, the tension flowing out of her muscles at his familiar touch. "Just had enough of the hen house inside," she answered. "I'm not used to so many women around."

He frowned. "Carter, Teyla, and Keller are women. So's Cadman and some of the other Marines. You spend time with them."

"Evan, grá, there's women and then there's _women_. The women we work with are not _women_," she tried to explain.

Evan shook his head. "Aid, that's female logic if I ever heard it." He kissed the top her head as she tried to unearth a hand to slap at him. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. I got a dress." She ran a finger down his chest and smiled up at him. "And a few other things that I think you'll enjoy."

Evan choked as he got her meaning. "Aid, please tell me that you didn't buy that stuff with your mother along."

She giggled. "Relax, Ev, I bought lingerie, nothing worse. Some for that night, some for another time." She shivered as the wind cut through the blanket she had wrapped around her body. "Let's go inside. I think I can deal with them now. And if I can't, we can go hide in our room."


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: So here it is... all in one fell shoop, the last of the story... I kicked ass the last few days and got it done... Mostly cuz I have i__ntermittent internet at home so I've been doing a lot of writing... I'm working on a few others too._

___I can't think of any spoilers and I think I've done enough disclaimers... Yes, I finally saw "The Last Man"... oh man, good thing I was at the library when I watched it or I think I'd have cried my eyes out. Oh wait... I spoil my story "Making Friends". Other than that... at this point... I'm not putting a comment on each chapter so from here on out, read at your own risk!_

* * *

Aiden kissed him, but didn't allow to become more than just a tease. "You'll be all right, Ev. I'm just going to stay at Hunt and Dare's tonight. I know there hasn't really been anything traditional about our lives, but I'd like to do this. I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow."

Evan sighed, winding his fingers through hers to keep her with him for a few minutes longer. "I don't like being separated from you, Aid, for any reason."

She moved back towards him and pushed his knees apart, stepping between them. "I'll be safe, grá. I promise. Here give me your cell." Puzzled, he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. She quickly entered Daren's number into it, then turned on the voice recorder and, with her eyes locked on Evan's, said, "I love you, Evan Lorne, and tomorrow I will pledge my life to yours. Sleep well so morning comes soon." She clicked the recorder off and handed the phone back to him. "If you really need me, call Daren, but now you have my voice to get you through the night."

Evan grinned up at her. "What would I do without you?"

"Go insane and strangle Deke."

She leaned down and kissed him, lingering until she heard Daren yell, "Aiden! Move your ass! Don't make me pull out the middle name!"

Aiden laughed as Evan pulled back, obviously wondering about what Daren had yelled. "The middle name?" he questioned.

She made a face. "You don't want to know. I need to go before he starts yelling it though."

"I can find out!" he called after her.

She laughed again as she pounded down the stairs to meet Daren. Her brother grinned up at her as she came into view. "I knew the threat of the middle name would get you down here. Did you succeed in convincing your boy you weren't running away from the alter?"

Aiden grabbed her jacket out of the closet. "We aren't getting married at an alter, but, yes, he's fine. So what are we doing tonight?"

Daren slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the house. He opened the door of his black late model Mustang and handed her into the passenger seat, then slammed the door. As he slid into the driver's seat and turned the car on, he grinned at his younger sister. "We're going to watch movies and eat popcorn and Hunter is going to make dinner. Then tomorrow we'll do the whole girly pamper thing, make sure you're dressed, and get you to the courthouse on time."

Aiden made a face at the idea of 'girly pamper time' as Daren peeled down the road. She made grab for the handle above the door as he took a corner a little too fast. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"Hunt and I have townhouse up the road a little ways. Hunter's already there and started dinner."

Aiden hung on tighter as Daren took another corner at top speed. "What's Hunt making for dinner?"

"I dunno. I didn't ask," Daren responded as he turned into the parking lot.

"Geez, Dare, I live with pilots and _fucking_ Marines and I don't fear for my life the way I do with your driving!" Aiden exclaimed as they pulled to a stop.

Daren grinned. "I'm not that bad. Besides I've never gotten speeding ticket."

"Only cuz they wouldn't be able to catch you," Aiden complained. She grabbed her overnight bag while Daren held the door for her, then followed him up the walk to the townhouse.

Daren threw open the front door, calling out, "Honey, we're ho-ome!" as they entered.

Hunter came out of the kitchen to their right, drying his hands on a towel. "Daren, all Kentucky knows you're home. You don't need to shout," he complained, but Aiden could detect the love in his complaint and could tell from the tone it was a frequent comment. Hunter kissed Aiden on the cheek in greeting, then kissed Daren briefly, refusing to get pulled into a longer kiss. "Addy, your room is at the top of the stairs to the leftish. Daren, why don't you show her? Dinner will be about ten more minutes."

By the time Aiden was settled in her room and the two siblings came back downstairs, Hunter was putting dinner on the table. Aiden inhaled gratefully as she entered the small dining area. "That smells delicious, Hunt," she said as she took the seat he indicated.

"Beef medallions with mushroom sauce," Hunter explained as he ladled food onto her plate. "It sounded good and it smells as good as it sounded." He nodded towards a piece of paper that rested by her plate. "Those are the vows Daren and I used when we got married. I didn't know if you and Evan had chosen anything yet."

Aiden picked up the paper and read over the vows as her brother sat down at the table with them after pouring wine for all of them.

_(Name), I take you to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife)._

_Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you_

_as long as we both shall live._

_I take you, with all your faults and strengths,_

_as I offer myself to you_

_with all my faults and strengths._

_I will help you when you need help, and_

_turn to you when I need help._

_I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life._

After finishing, she tossed them back on the table, gagging in response. "Um, sweet, Hunt, but not exactly either of us. We're not really the traditional, sweetness, and light couple."

"Well, it was just an idea," Hunter responded as Daren handed her a book.

"Here, sis, you can see if you can find something in here," he said.

They spent the rest of the meal, looking through the book and then catching up on people that all three of them knew. After dinner, Aiden got up to help Daren clear the table, but he shooed her into the living room with Hunter. "So what are we watching?" she asked as she settled on the couch with a glass of soda instead of the wine her brother had been trying to encourage her to drink.

"Well, we've got _Made of Honor_ and _27 Dresses_," Hunter said as he handed me the DVDs. "Perfect for the night before you get married."

Aiden groaned as she looked at the movies. "Chick flicks, Hunt? Come on. How long have you known me? And please remember who I spend most of my time with."

"Well, we could always watch _Equilibrium_, _Batman Begins_, or _The Dark Knight_," Daren said as he sat down beside his husband and handed Aiden a slice of chocolate cake.

Aiden pointed her fork at her brother. "Still haven't lost your Christian Bale obsession, I see. _Equilibrium_ was good. I watched that with the boys. I'd be willing to watch that again. No Batman flicks though, although I guess Bale wasn't too bad." She ducked the mock punch her brother threw at her. "Come on, the guys I work with are like complete sci-fi nuts. Anything you have that isn't sci-fi?"

Hunter got up and rifled through their cabinet finally coming back with a selection of cases and dumping them in her lap. "Pick one then," he instructed. "Bride's choice."

After a minute, she held up _The Fugitive_. "I haven't watched this in _forever_! Then we can watch _Equilibrium_, okay, Dare?"

Daren gave her a one-armed hug. "Whatever you want. I'm just glad you decided to get married here so I could be here for you."

* * *

Evan looked up from his book at the sound of the knock on his door. "Come in," he called.

Evangeline opened the door and poked her head inside. "We're sitting down to dinner in a few minutes, Evan. Its just Wesley and me tonight, but you're welcome to join us."

"Thank you," he replied. "I'd be happy to."

She nodded. "Five minutes then." She shut the door on her way out.

He marked his place in his book and went into the bathroom, washing his hands like had been drilled into him as a child. Two minutes after Evangeline had knocked on his door, he was headed downstairs to the table. Wesley was just pouring a second glass of wine when he entered the dining room. The older man held up the wine bottle. "Wine, Evan, or would you prefer beer?"

"Wine is fine, sir, thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, Evie has everything just about ready. Have a seat." He put a glass in front of the seat Evan took as Evangeline came through the swinging door from the kitchen with a platter in her hands. She set it on the table and glanced around the room, then sat in the chair Wesley had pulled out for her. Wesley took his seat after helping her into the chair. He smiled kindly at Evan. "We're not planning to interrogate you, if that's what you're afraid of," he said. "We trust Aiden's decisions. This really is _just_ dinner."

Evan smiled. "I've spent a lot of time on diplomatic missions in the last few years, especially since Aiden joined the team because of her fluency with languages. I love your daughter, but she isn't always the most diplomatic of people."

Evangeline laughed in response. "I'm afraid my daughter often felt she had to prove herself with her brothers. I'm not sure why since we never asked any of our children to be anything other than themselves, but she had to be faster, stronger, better than them. And always had to prove herself to them and to us."

"She's that way with the boys on the team sometimes, but they seem to have settled into a pretty good relationship. At least they're no longer at each other throats," Evan responded. He inhaled deeply as he put one of the steaks on his plate. "These look delicious, ma'am."

"I figured you didn't get much beef overseas or fresh food," Wesley answered. "Please enjoy."

Evangeline fussed with her food for a minute and then asked, "Did Aiden ever tell you her middle name?"

Evan smiled. "No, she hasn't, but I know she hates it and I do know what it is. I don't think she realizes it's in her file. It was buried pretty deep, but, well, I have a computer geek on my team and his ethics are...let's just say a little loose. He and Aiden had a fight when she first joined the team. Over her following my orders believe it or not." He hurried to explain when he saw that her parents were worried. "Aiden did follow what I told her. Deke, our teammate, thought she should have done something different. I was injured, uncnscious actually, and tempers got a little high. Our base CO told Deke he should read her file. While he was poking around in her file, he came across her middle name. He and I are the only ones who know it though."

Evangeline shook her head. "I don't know what Wes and I were thinking. I mean Aiden Delilah is beautiful, but it just doesn't fit my daughter."

Evan grinned. "No, but it's fun to tease her with."

Wesley raised his wine glass motioning for Evan and Evangeline to do the same. "Evan, I think you have a good grasp of how to deal with and understand my daughter. Welcome to the family."


	17. Chapter 17

Evan glared at himself in the mirror. He had never had a problem doing up the tie for his dress blues before, but today it seemed to be defeating him. Maybe it had something to do with him not sleeping well the night prior. Aiden had insisted they spend the night apart, something about starting their marriage off on the right foot and being traditional in some ways that he had stopped listening to once he realized he would be sleeping alone. It wasn't the sex he missed, but the comfort and weight of her body in his arms; the sound of her breath intertwined with his; the scent that meant home to him. It hadn't been as bad as he had feared since Aiden had found somewhere else to sleep and he had stayed in the same bed, but he had still woken up numerous times reaching for her. It was worse than being on an away mission without her.

A knock on the bedroom door startled him out of his musings and he hollered in the general direction of the door, "Yeah?"

The door opened and Sean poked his head in. "Lorne? Where are you?"

"In the bathroom, Bancroft," Evan called back. "Trying to tie this damn tie."

Sean sauntered in, resplendent in his own blues. "Nervous?" he asked.

Evan came to the doorway, the tie around his neck, but still undone. "No, just frustrated."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "I do _not_ want to know. That's my baby sister you're talking about."

Evan rolled his eyes at the other man. "With the tie. Unlike your sister, I do not feel the need to over share about our sex life." He indicated the tie. "Could you give me a hand with this?"

With a chuckle, Sean deftly did up the tie, then left it for Evan to tuck in and straighten out. "So are you ready for this?" he asked.

Evan ducked back into the bathroom to check himself in the mirror. As he came back out, he answered, "Yes. I'm surprisingly not nervous. But honestly I think once you've faced down Aiden in full temper, saying 'I do' is a piece of cake."

Sean laughed out loud at Evan's example. "You've got a point about Aiden," he confirmed. "You about ready to go?"

Evan picked up the small box that contained Aiden's wedding band and slipped it into his pocket. "Yeah. I'm ready. How's Aiden doing?"

"She'll be there on time," Sean assured him.

"That doesn't really answer my question," Evan replied as the two men started down the 

stairs.

"Hunt and Dare whisked her away last night so I can't really answer that," Sean told him. "I was just told to get you to the court house this morning."

Evan grinned and opened the door to Sean's Silverado. "Fine. Escort away, Bancroft."

* * *

Aiden opened her eyes and groaned as she realized she was looking into her brother's eyes and not Evan's. "Why are you in bed with _me_ and not Hunter?" she asked.

"Cuz I came in to wake you up for your wedding," Daren answered in a quiet voice. "Can I ask you a question, aleathchśpla?"

"You may," Aiden answered, sitting up in bed and accepting the cup of coffee that Hunter brought in to her. He kissed her gently on the forehead, then ducked back out of the room, leaving the siblings alone. "Is everything okay?"

Daren fiddled with the blanket for a few moments, then looked at his sister. Sometimes it blended together which one of them was older. They had grown up as if they were twins, attending school together and going through life almost as one entity; not separating until they had each chosen their individual careers. She had given her blessing when he decided to commit to Hunter, even if she hadn't been there for the actual ceremony, and he wanted to be able to give her his. "I just want to make sure you know what you're doing."

"That wasn't a question, Dare."

"Okay so my question is. Do you love this Evan Lorne and are you sure you want to marry him?"

Aiden stuck her tongue out at him. "Two questions. And the answer to both is _yes_. Unequivocally _yes_. Now I have a question for you. Do we _really_ have to do the 'girly pamper thing' today?"

Daren grinned. "Yes! You deserve to be pampered on your wedding day." He slapped her ass. "Now up and shower. We're gonna get ready to go to the salon. Nothing over the top; just nails and hair. Don't even wash your hair." Aiden groaned, but slid out of bed to follow his orders, knowing he would just berate her until she did.

When she got downstairs, both men were waiting. Aiden's dress bag was in Hunter's hand and Daren was completely dressed for the wedding, although his tie wasn't done. They left the house and piled into Daren's Mustang as Aiden asked, "Am I getting fed this morning?"

"You aren't too nervous to eat?" Hunter asked as he pulled the car out of the parking space, having won the fight over who got to drive.

"Hell, no," Aiden answered. "I'm starving. So food?"

"Yeah, we'll get you food," Daren confirmed. "From Polito's once we get you settled at the salon."

"Polito's is still around?" Aiden asked. "That's awesome!" The rest of the ride was taken up with them chattering about what they were going to send Daren to get from the bakery since Hunter wanted to be at the salon to give directions.

Aiden shuddered as she and Hunter entered the salon. "Ya know this is one thing I don't miss when I'm overseas," she said as one of the stylists descended on them.

"So this is the bride, Hunter?" she demanded.

"Yes, this is Aiden. Now be nice, Cynnie. She's a little skittish. Something on her nails and let's do something with her hair."

Cynnie took a strand of Aiden's hair and pulled it out, considering it. "Well, you've got gorgeous hair, darlin'. Let's see the dress." She turned as Hunter unzipped the bag for a moment so she could see the color and then nodded. "I've got the perfect thing."

Aiden looked at Hunter in dismay as Cynnie led her away. "Hunter, caffeine and food, please," she begged.

* * *

Evan followed Sean into the judge's chambers. As they entered, the judge looked up from some paperwork on his desk. As he stood up and came around to greet them, Evan had a chance to study him. He was an older man, a little taller than Evan, but not as tall as Sean; who was tall for a pilot. Evan decided that he was in his early sixties; he was going grey and he looked like a man who had once kept in shape, but no longer had time or energy. He held hand out to Evan, shaking it briefly when Evan extended his own. "Welcome, Colonel. I'm Dennis Murphy. I just have a few questions before Ms. Bancroft gets here. Why don't we have a seat?" He motioned them over to a small conversation area.

Evan frowned. "Is something wrong? I thought everything was set."

As they settled into chairs, he answered, "The ceremony is set; I just have a few questions."

Evan nodded, still not convinced. "What then?"

"This wedding is rushed quite a bit, and I just wanted to make sure there were not extenuating circumstances."

Evan frowned again. "Like what?"

"Well, if you don't mind me asking you a few questions about your relationship with Ms. Bancroft," Dennis replied.

Evan decided this judge couldn't know Aiden very well if he kept referring to her as 'Ms.'. "Doctor Bancroft," he corrected coldly, then added, "Although she prefers Doc or Aiden. And frankly I don't think our relationship is any of your business. You're being paid to marry us, not pass judgment on us."

"I'll be honest with you then," the judge replied, matching Evan's cold tone. "I'm hesitant to perform this wedding. You've only been engaged for a few days and already you're getting married. Do you even know this woman? I would suspect she's marrying you for your salary and benefits since you apparently don't know her well."

Evan barked out a laugh at his misinformation. "I have no idea where you got your information, but Aid makes more money than me by far. And I've worked with and lived with her for almost five years so I think I know her pretty well. The only reason we're rushing the ceremony is because she wants to get married while we're still stateside. We're due back at the base where we're both stationed on January third." Evan sat forward in his seat, years of fighting had honed his body and although he wasn't tall, he was muscular. "Now who told you Aiden was marrying me for my salary and benefits?"

The judge leaned back in seat, away from him, stuttering out, "I-I really don't th-think that matters."

Evan's smile told Dennis that knew how to do painful things that wouldn't leave a mark and the judge began to wonder about this unassuming looking man. "I do." The Air Force officer hadn't threatened him overtly, but there an air of menace around him that Dennis could almost taste. "Who...told...you?" he asked, spacing his words out evenly.

"Your mother," Dennis blurted out in answer, then snapped his mouth shut with a click.

Evan and Sean exchanged glances and Evan asked, "How did she find out? I haven't called her."

Sean sighed. "Addy. Had to be."

Dennis pointed with a shaking finger to a door off to their left. "She's through there. Along with the rest of your family."

Evan motioned for Sean to stay seated when he got to his feet. "I'm going to go talk to them," he said.

When he entered the other room, he had just a moment to take in the sight of his family, whom he hadn't seen since before he joined the SGC before his nephews spotted him and began yelling, "Uncle Evan! Uncle Evan!"

He had enough time to brace himself, and remind himself that these boys were a lot bigger than Teyla's son, when both boys barreled into him. He took a few moments to greet them and talk to them before deciding he should get them away before talking to his parents. "Hey, guys, through that door," he pointed, "is a friend of mine who's also in the Air Force. He's got a nephew about your age. Why don't you go see if his nephew is here yet?" Evan suggested. He waited until they tumbled through the door before turning his attention to the adults in the room. "I gather Aiden called you?"

His mother, who shared his ice blue eyes and light brown hair, had crossed her arms as soon as the boys left the room and glared at him. "Why is the first I'm hearing about you having a girlfriend is when she calls me and tells me you're getting married?"

Evan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Mom, when I came home the last time and couldn't tell you what I was doing, you said you didn't want to speak to me until I could. My job hasn't changed. Aiden has a lot to do with my job. We work together. I met her at work. She understands what I have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm sorry I didn't write you and tell you, but we've been under a lot of stress lately. Aiden hadn't told her family either."

"But you've obviously been stateside for a few days. And you apparently didn't even consider coming to visit us," his mother said.

"We had a few days of leave. Aiden wanted to see her family and I agreed to come with her. I had been intending to ask her to marry me and she just wanted to do it now." He pushed his anger down. "Look I'm glad you're here. I'm glad Aiden called you." He turned to his sisters. "Aiden is having one of her brothers stand up for her and I asked her brother, Sean, to stand up for me. I'd really like it if one of you would be willing to stand up for me instead."

The two girls, both of whom shared his looks, exchanged glances. Finally Emily, who was older than him, spoke, "I'd rather now. The boys are feeling a little rambunctious and I think they might be a handful."

Kaitlyn, his younger sister, spoke up when she finished, "I'd be happy, too, Evan."

He embraced both of them. "Thank you." Turning to his parents, he held his hand out to his father. "Do I have your blessing, sir?"

"Does this woman make you happy?" his father asked. "Does she complete you?"

Evan nodded. "She does. I can't imagine my life without her. And even though I've only known her for five years, I can't remember a time when she wasn't a part of my life."

His father shook his hand. "Then be happy, son."

His mother hugged him when his father released his hand. "I'm sorry, Evan. Can we fix this somehow?"

"We can try, Mom, we can try," he responded as he hugged his mother tightly.

* * *

Evan ran a hand through his hair after his parents and sisters left the room. That hadn't been as rough as he had thought it would be. He turned, intending to go back into the main room and wait for Aiden, when the door opened and Sean entered, followed by the rest of Aiden's brothers, including Daren and Hunter. Evan glanced around at them. "Hey, guys," he said easily. The brothers surrounded him, all of their previous friendliness vanished. Normally Evan wasn't intimidated people who were taller than he was, but having all of them around him was making him nervous. He tried to keep his eyes on all of them as they circled him. "What's going on?"

They all glared at him. "You're about to take someone that is very important to us," Patrick said. "And we just wanted to make sure you understood the facts of life beforehand."

"Believe me, guys, Aiden is very important to me, too," Evan replied.

"Yeah, but she's been part of your life for what? Five years?" Eddie asked. "She's been our sister her whole life."

"And she's our baby sister," Ian added.

"You'll notice that she's also our _only_ sister," Sean put-in.

"So we just wanted to make sure you understood," Patrick started.

"If you hurt her...you're a dead man," Daren finished.

"And being on a classified base isn't going to stop us," Hunter added.

Eddie smiled. "Welcome to the family."

Each of the brothers offered Evan a hand to shake and then left the room. Kaitlyn stuck her head in once they had all left. "You okay?" she asked.

Evan shuddered. "Ya know, I've faced down some of the scariest things on this planet and done a lot of things that are classified...and that was scarier than all of them."

She came the rest of the way into the room. "So are you still going through with this?"

He nodded. "Aiden's scarier than all of them put together and I don't want to _think_ about what she'd do to me if I backed out."

Kaitlyn smiled. She hadn't met her brother's wife-to-be yet, but she was curious. "Well, I gather she's here so it's time to go."

Putting his arm around his younger sister, Evan turned her in the right direction. "I'm glad you're here, Kait," he said as they moved into the room where the wedding would take place.


	18. Chapter 18

"Aiden, coat," Daren whispered as they all took their places in front of the judge. Aiden quickly shrugged out of the coat she had been using to cover her dress and handed it to Daren, who passed it to Hunter. Evan caught his breath as he got his first look at her dress. He hadn't been expecting a traditional color--this was Aiden after all--but she had picked a bright turquoise that made her eyes even darker. The spaghetti top was fitted closely through the bodice until it reached her hips and then it flowed to just below her knees.

Evan took her hand as she turned back to him and rubbed his thumb across the scar on her left wrist. He had matching one from the wedding ceremony they had attended for the Mrobi tribe. As a gesture of goodwill, the tribe had insisted that someone from the Atlantis team go through the same ceremony that the wedding couple was. Although the Earth people didn't consider them married, the Mrobi had considered Aiden and Evan mated since the ceremony. Over the years, rubbing it had become their touchstone to each other, their reminder that they loved each other when they couldn't express it out loud. Aiden smiled in response to his movement as they turned to face the judge.

He looked them both in the eye. "Are you ready?"

Evan nodded and squeezed Aiden's hand. "We are," he answered for them both.

Dennis opened up his book and began, "The step which you are about to take is the most important into which human beings can come. It is a union of two people founded upon mutual respect and affection. Your lives will change, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied if you are sincere and earnest with your pledge to one another." He looked at their joined hands. "I see you are already holding hands and that connection should be a reminder to you through-out your life." He turned his attention to Evan. "Evan, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?"

Evan looked Aiden in the eyes as he answered, "I will."

Dennis continued, "Aiden, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"

Aiden bit her lip so she didn't laugh, knowing that this was supposed to be serious, but she couldn't keep her amusement from her eyes. She knew Evan could tell what she was thinking and she tried to keep her voice steady as she answered, "I will."

Dennis motioned to their joined hands and said, "Repeat after me: _I, Evan, take you, Aiden, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward._" Evan looked at Aiden as he repeated the words, trying to keep a straight face because he knew she was trying not to laugh from sappiness of the words. When he finished, he glared at her and she 

widened her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to look innocent. He was very glad the judge didn't know her well enough to realize that the choking sound in her voice was not from unshed tears, but swallowed laughter. He had a feeling her brothers were well aware of what was going on though.

Dennis turned to Aiden and said, "Repeat after me: _I, Aiden, take you, Evan, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward._" For some reason, the words seemed to steady her as she said them and her amusement faded as she looked deeply into Evan's eyes. As she finished, he mouthed, _I love you_ to her and she smiled at him.

Dennis asked, "Do you have rings?" Evan pulled the box with Aiden's ring out of his pocket and Kaitlyn opened it, handing him the ring and tucking the box away in her purse as Daren handed Aiden Evan's ring. Dennis took both of them and placed them on his book. "Let these rings be given and received as a token of your affection, sincerity and fidelity to one another. Please place the ring on the bride's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Evan repeated, sliding the ring onto Aiden's finger. She smiled up at him as the ring slipped into place.

"Aiden, take the your groom's ring and place the ring on Evan's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed."

Aiden slipped the ring onto Evan's finger, repeating the words, "With this ring, I thee wed." She held tightly to his hand when the ring was in place, then slipped her index finger underneath his cuff, running it along the scar on his wrist. He smiled in response to her motion.

Dennis smiled at the new husband and wife, even though their attention was on each other and not on him. "In as much as Aiden and Evan have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of Kentucky, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your wife."

Evan tugged gently on the hand he was still holding, pulling Aiden towards him. He slid a hand under her hair, tipping her head up towards him and lowering his head down to hers. As their lips met, their families began clapping and cheering. When Evan pulled away from her, he knew his ears were red, but he met the good-natured ribbing from Aiden's brothers with a smile.

He was separated from her briefly as everyone began trying to hug both her and him in congratulations, but tried to keep sight of her. Finally he gave up as he came face to face with Emily. He hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you came," he told her.

"Even if you weren't expecting us?" she questioned.

He sighed. "I should have called you. Aiden was right to call." He glanced around and saw that Aiden had been cornered by his and her nephews. "We're going to some bar place for a small party. Why don't you get directions from one of Aiden's brothers and join us?"

"What about the boys?" she asked.

Aiden slipped her arm around Evan's waist and answered for him, "They're welcome to come, too. Gavin, Fiona, and Bridget will be there."

"At a bar?" Emily questioned.

Aiden grinned. "Its the south, ma'am, and honestly, they've all been there before. There won't be problem. Ev, Daren's gonna let us borrow his car, but he won't let me have the keys. Could you go get them so we can let the judge leave?"

Evan nodded. "Absolutely. Do I get to hear the story of why you can't have the keys?"

She made a face in response. "Maybe later."


	19. Chapter 19

Evan looked at the bar as he pulled into the parking lot Aiden had directed him to. "This is where you planned for us to have our wedding reception?" he asked, eying the ramshackle building.

"It looks better on the inside," she assured him, as she opened the glove box. She pulled his iPod out of the box and tucked it into the small clutch purse that matched her dress. She grinned up at him as they got out of Daren's Mustang. "Besides this is where we always sing our Karaoke."

Evan looked horrified as she took his hand and began to drag him into the building. "You aren't going to make me sing, are you?" he asked.

She waved the purse at him. "That's why I brought your iPod. So you wouldn't have to," she told him.

Aiden's family was already inside the bar, even the little kids, and Evan was glad to see his parents, Emily, and Kaitlyn had also found the place. His parents and Emily were sitting with Aiden's parents and Kaitlyn was sitting with Adeline and Ian. All of them stood and clapped as the newlyweds walked into the bar. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the very first time ever, and its completely amazing that she didn't kill him on the way over here, Mr. and Mrs. Evan Lorne!" Daren announced when he noticed them.

"Keep going, Daren, and I'll kill _you_," Aiden called back. She handed her purse off to Sean, who dug out to iPod and wandered off to the bar with it.

"Anything in particular I should stay away from?" Sean asked over the hum of voices.

"Try to avoid Deke's mix," Evan replied.

Sean nodded and turned to programming the player. "What's wrong with Deke's mix?" Ian questioned from his seat.

"Deke likes techno trash," Aiden answered. "Anything good that he listens to is cross-linked on the other mixes."

Evan pulled a chair over to the table where Kaitlyn sat with Ian and Adeline and took a seat, then woofed in surprise when Aiden dropped into his lap. A moment later, Sean joined them, hooking a chair over with his foot. He set three pints on the table and pushed two over to Aiden and Evan. "Here, Addy," he told her, "real beer!"

Aiden grinned as she picked up one of the glasses and clinked it with her brother's. "Awesome, Sean."

Evan picked his up and considered it. "Real beer?" he asked.

"Guinness, Ev. Drink up." Aiden turned to Kaitlyn. "So what do you do?"

Evan shifted Aiden to a more comfortable position and sipped his beer as his wife talked to his sister. He grinned at the little thrill he got from the thought of _his wife_ and hugged Aiden with the arm he had around her waist. She turned slightly to look at him and kissed his lips briefly before turning her attention back to her conversation. Her foot was moving to the beat of the song that was playing, but she made no move to leave the circle of his arms.

Daren came over to them as the song changed and touched Aiden on the shoulder. "Your husband gonna dance with you?" he asked.

She shook her head and looked up at him. "Evan doesn't dance in public, Dare."

All of the Bancroft boys looked at Evan in shock. "You don't _dance_?" Daren turned his gaze to his sister. "Addy, how could you marry him?"

Knowing that Evan couldn't see her, she made her grin extremely wicked as she replied to her brother, "He does his dancing between the sheets."

"Ai-den!" Evan yelped. "You may not care what your brothers hear, but I'd rather my sister wasn't corrupted by you."

She laughed as Daren took her hand and helped her off Evan's lap. "Come on, sis. Hunter found swing music on the iPod."

"Swing music? I have swing music on my iPod?" Evan turned to watch Aiden follow her brother onto the dance floor. "And Aiden knows how to dance to that?" He swung his chair around to watch as Daren apparently said something to Aiden. A moment later, they stepped into the beat of the song that had started. He watched in amazement as they spun and twirled like some of the dancers he had seen on a video Aiden had on her laptop. "Where did Aiden learn to dance like that?" he asked the brothers still at the table.

"You didn't know Aiden could dance?" Sean asked.

Evan sipped his beer, his eyes glued to his wife who was moving in perfect unison with her brother. "I've seen her dance. Mostly as a stress reliever in her lab or our quarters, but never like this." He shook his head in amazement. "She's really good."

Ian explained, "She and Daren used to compete; they won a whole bunch of awards and a couple of competitions." He stopped talking as he realized Evan wasn't listening. Ian exchanged grins with his twin and leaned back in his chair, sipping his own beer. "Guess we lost the groom," he commented.

Sean tossed a napkin at his twin. "I seem to remember you being rather enamored with your wife on your wedding day, too. Leave the man alone."

Ian looked at his pregnant wife who was sipping lemonade and watching all of this with amusement. "I think I'm still rather enamored with my wife," he told his twin.

"Well, thank god for that since I'm carrying your children," Adeline replied. She smiled kindly at Kaitlyn who was looking a little worried at the by-play between the brothers. "It's all right, they're mostly harmless."

In unison the twins raised their pint glasses, chorused "Forty-two!" and took a drink. Kaitlyn looked at them in confusion.

Adeline rolled her eyes. "I guess I should have chosen other words to reassure you. That's a quote from _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Which the boys used to use as a drinking game."

Eddie chuckled as he joined them at the table. "I like that one, DeeDee. We're 'mostly harmless'." He kicked Evan's chair with his foot. "Hey, zoomie, you gonna stare at my sister all night?"

The music had changed from swing to "Pretty Woman" and Aiden was now dancing with Hunter. Evan found he couldn't be jealous of the other man since he knew Hunter was fully committed to Daren and wasn't that an odd thought? He wasn't worried not because Hunter was gay, but because Hunter was committed to Daren and he trusted Aiden completely. Daren was dancing with their mother, much to the amusement of the patrons in the bar. The woman was obviously protesting, but in a good natured way as she allowed her son to lead her around the dance floor.

Evan let the conversation at the table flow around him as he watched the movement on the dance floor. As the music changed again to John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good", a song he knew was one of Aiden's favorites, she switched partners again, moving back into her brother's arms. Hunter apparently made some sort of protest that the three of them found amusing because they all laughed and then Daren spun her away. Hunter escorted Evangeline back to the table, got a round of pints, and then joined the group at the table. He passed out the pints before snagging another chair and joining them. "Dare says you don't dance, Evan?" he questioned.

Evan shook his head, sipping from the fresh pint. "No, not really."

Hunter eyed the other man. "Will ya slow dance with her?"

"Slow dance?" Evan repeated.

"Yeah, ya know. Soft music, cheek to cheek?" He grinned as he realized Evan was finally getting the picture. "The next couple of songs are for you two."

"Thanks, Hunter," Evan replied.

Hunter raised his pint. "No problem. Just be ready to grab her when the music starts."

Evan turned back to watching the dancers. Daren and Aiden were lost in their own world, obviously trying out something that they weren't quite getting right because it was causing them to laugh hysterically. They weren't dancing much now; laughing more than moving. Finally Aiden said something to him. Daren attempted to compose himself and spun her around in response. She slammed into a man who had been watching them just as the song ended.

Instantly Evan was up and striding across the room, sensing from long experience that this wasn't going to turn out well. He reached her just as the man grabbed her as she tried to back away. "Since you seem so eager to meet me, I think you owe me a dance," the man was saying as Evan came up behind her.

Aiden was struggling in his grip. "It was an accident," she protested. "Please let me go."

Evan rested his hand at the small of her back so she'd know he was there. This resulted in her instantly relaxing. She stopped struggling with the man who held her prisoner and waited to see what Evan would do. "The lady asked you to release her."

The man glared at Evan. He had a good seven inches and thirty pounds on Evan, but the Air Force officer wasn't worried. He knew he was in good shape and that he had plenty of back-up in the bar. He just really didn't want to start a fight on his wedding night. "I don't think this is any of your business," the man replied. "All I want a dance. She's been dancing with other men all evening."

"The other men are her brother and brother-in-law." Evan held up his left hand. "And considering the lady in question is my _wife_, I do think it is my business. Now let her go or," he turned and motioned to the table where the rest of the clan sat, Sean and Eddie still in their dress uniforms, "see the group over there?" He waited until the man nodded in response. "That's the _rest_ of her family. If you start a fight, I guarantee they will be over here before you can do more than throw a punch or two. And considering I live in an active war zone, I _really_ don't think you'd like to start a fight with me." He smiled at the man and it was _not_ a nice smile. "Now I'd really like to dance with my new wife." He curled his hand around Aiden's waist and tugged gently, drawing her away from the man.

Aiden slid her arms around his neck after he had led her onto the dance floor and fit herself against him. "My knight in shinning dress blues," she said with a grin.

"Don't start with me, Aid," he warned as the opening cords of "Amazed" by Lonestar sounded.

Aiden gave him an innocent look. "Don't start what?" she asked. When he turned them so he blocked their families' view of her, she pressed harder against him. "That was a 

major turn on, grá. How much longer do we have to stay?"

He looked down at her. "Sometimes I think you are seriously twisted."

"It's twisted that you coming to my rescue turns me on?" she asked. "I would have thought that you'd be more worried that seeing you in full solider mode turns me on."

"Can we not have that discussion here?" he asked plaintively.

"Ev, it's not like anyone can hear us." Aiden glanced around. "Okay, well maybe someone on the dance floor can hear us, but who cares? We're married."

He looked down at her for a moment, then pulled her even closer, a look of almost bafflement crossing his features. "Yeah, we are, aren't we?"

Aiden grinned up at him. "Are you finding that a little amazing, grá?"

Evan reached down and brought her hand up, entwining his left with hers and looking down at their rings. "Amazing, fantastic, mind-blowing, and probably one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Aiden reached up and kissed him gently. "I love you." Snuggling in his arms, they drifted to the strains of the music. Aiden's contentment changed to amusement when the song changed to "I'll Be There for You" a few moments later.

Evan looked down at her. "I gather you've been playing around with my iPod again?"

She grimaced. "Um, mine had an incident?" she suggested.

"Did you lose it or break it?" he asked.

"I thought it was broken, but then Deke took a look at it and fixed it, but now I can't find it," she admitted.

"So apparently I should have bought you a new iPod for Christmas," he said.

She shook her head. "Nah. I already got one. I just haven't loaded anything on it yet. And I'm not going to until we get home. Deke's gonna put a locator on it."

He nodded. "Good idea." Glancing around, he took in her family. "So how much longer do we need to stay?"


	20. Chapter 20

Evan handed the keys to the valet as the boy came up to the car and then went around the front. He opened the door and held his hand out to Aiden. She took his hand and allowed him to help her out of the car, smiling up at him as she bumped up against him. He grinned down at her and tugged her towards the doorway. She had been teasing him all evening, dropping little hints about what she had on under her dress, until he had finally agreed to leave with her.

When they entered the lobby, she started to veer towards the front desk, but he redirected her towards the elevators. She looked up at him with questions in her sapphire blue eyes. "I checked us in yesterday," he explained, showing her the key card he had removed from his pocket. "I thought it would be nice to be able to go right up to the room."

She slipped her arm through his and leaned against him after they had gotten in the elevator. "See, I always knew you had more brains than you would admit to."

"Aiden," he scolded, "insulting me is not the way to get what you want."

Aiden grinned and slid her hand down his back, squeezing his ass gently. "I know how to get what I want, Evan, I'm trying to behave until we're in private."

He put finger under her chin and tilted her head up, kissing her hungrily. "Maybe I should just give your mouth something else to do," he told her when he drew away again.

She grinned, a slightly dazed look in her eyes. "I'm all for that," she agreed.

He nudged her when the door opened and guided her in the right direction, his hand on the small of her back. When they reached the room, she held her hand out for the key card. "Nope," he said. He eased her coat off her shoulders, baring them. "I know you're not that traditional, but I'd like to carry you over the threshold."

"Ev, I..." she started.

He put finger on her lips, then removed it, and kissed her. "Just let me do it," he requested softly.

She looked up at him and realized she didn't really want to deny him such a simple request. "All right," she agreed.

He unlocked the door, cracked it, then bent slightly, slipping one arm under Aiden's knees and the other behind her back. She put her arms around his neck and he lifted her easily, enjoying her giggles as he juggled her briefly until he held her securely. She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged his head towards hers, kissing him. "Just hold that thought, amour," he told her, kicking the door with his foot. He carried her into 

the room as she loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, placing several open mouthed kisses on the skin she had bared. "Aiden," he groaned. "Stop, please. I don't want drop you."

Aiden pulled back and allowed him to make sure the door was shut, then she flipped the night lock for him. "You would never drop me," she told him.

He set her down on her feet next to the bed. "Aiden, I don't know what I did to deserve this confidence in me or you, but I thank god for you just about every day." He brushed a curl that had come loose from her hairdo away from her face. "Thank you for loving me. I hope I never do anything to abuse that trust." He touched the charms that lay on her collarbone. "These and this," he touched her wedding ring, "are my promise to you. Je t'aime, Aiden Lorne."

Aiden settled her hands on his hips, looking up at him as he made his confession to her. His words choked her up and she swallowed hard, needing a moment to compose herself before she could answer him. "I made my promises to you earlier today in front of our families," she told him. "Now I make this one in private. I love you and you wear my promise to you on your wrist and your finger. Always remember that you carry my heart within yours." She pulled him towards her, caressing him through his dress pants and discovering that he was already beginning to harden. "Je t'aime, Evan Lorne. Make slow, sweet love to me." She reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him as she drew him down to the bed.

Evan groaned into her mouth as his weight settled against her body. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him tighter against her, settling him into the cradle of her body. He settled perfectly where he belonged and hardened even further as he thought of where he would soon be buried. He pulled back to breathe and asked, "Where's the zipper on this thing?"

"On my dress?" she asked and when he nodded, she answered, "In the back."

He stood up and pulled her into a sitting position. Leaning over, he nuzzled her neck and placed kisses across her collarbone, inter-spacing them with nips and licks until she shuddered beneath his lips and hands. Continuing to make his way down to the swell of her breasts, he reached behind her and began to ease the zipper of her dress down. She placed her hands on the bed and leaned back on them, thrusting her breasts out. He rewarded her with a gentle bite on the upper swell of her right breast and she groaned in response. Evan drew back so he could look at her as he worked the straps of her dress down to reveal the sapphire strapless bra she wore underneath. He ran a finger slowly across the top of it, drawing more shudders from her, and grinned. "Is this one of the things you bought on your shopping trip?" he asked.

Aiden nodded as he straightened back up and quickly stripped off his jacket. "There's more to it though."



He knelt in front of her and spread her legs, sliding his hands up under her skirt. "I can't wait to see." He frowned as he realized he wasn't feeling stockings all the way up. "What are you wearing underneath this dress?"

She reached out and undid his tie the rest of the way, using it to pull him forward and kiss him. When she released him again, she grinned. "You'll have to remove it to find out." She pulled his tie off and tossed it aside, then began undoing to buttons on his shirt. The shirt joined the tie on the floor when she was done with it and her hands glided over his chest.

"Lift up," he instructed and when she did, he pulled the dress over her hips and off. He turned away to watch as he threw it towards the clothes she had removed from his body. When Evan turned back to face her, she had kicked off her heels and leaned back on her hands again. He sucked in a breath at her spread out so wantonly before him.

Under the bottom of the dress, Aiden wore panties that matched the bra he had already discovered and garters that held up the stockings he had been feeling. He sat back on his heels and just looked at her for a few moments, drinking the sight of her. "God, Aiden, you look..." he trailed off, unable to find words to adequately describe what she was doing to him.

She looked down at his crotch where the outline of his erection was clearly visible. "I think I figured it out." She leaned forward and reached for him, but he shifted backwards before she could touch him.

"Let me," he said. He looked up at her, locking blue eyes to blue eyes and reveling in the lust that burned in hers, sure that he was reflecting it back to her. "Please."

Aiden licked her lips wanting nothing more than to strip him naked and spread her legs so he could drive himself deep inside her, but this was their first time making love as husband and wife and she wanted it to last. She settled back into her prior position and nodded. "Okay," she told him. "Do with me as you will."

Evan ran his hands up her legs again, loving the feel of silk beneath his hands, and followed them with his mouth. Aiden dropped her head back and whimpered as he reached the inside of her upper thighs and then bypassed where she really wanted his mouth. He moved up farther, kissing and nipping her stomach, eliciting giggles instead of moans as he hit a ticklish spot. Moving up again, he sucked her nipples through her bra, drawing groans from her and causing her to bring her hands up and hold his head in place. "Oh, goddess, Evan," she ground out. "That feels so good." She switched from English to French and began to describe what she wanted him to do to her. He grinned against her breast as he heard some of the things he had already planned. Switching to the other breast, he brought his hands down and eased two fingers inside her panties. He moved them around, closer and closer to her core, but never once easing inside. "Evan, stop teasing or I'll have to hurt you," she warned.

He drew back far enough to lick the nipple he had been sucking on and grinned up at her. "I'm not teasing, amour. This is foreplay." He dipped a finger inside and she tensed, but he could tell immediately that it was good tense. "You feel so good," he whispered to her. "So warm and wet; all ready for me to slide inside you. I bet you'll taste just as good as you feel. Should I take a taste and see?"

She shuddered and nodded. Her voice was husky as she answered, "Yes, please. Taste me, touch me. I'm yours."

He pulled his finger out and watched her as he brought it to his mouth and sucked it clean. She groaned again as she watched and grabbed his head when he was finished, pulling him up so she could kiss him. Delving inside, she searched for a taste of herself on his tongue. "I want more," he told her when they broke the kiss.

Evan pulled her panties off, leaving her stockings and garters intact and lowered his head. Before he reached her center, he veered off and nipped her thigh. Aiden grabbed his hair and forced him to look up at her. "Evan Lorne," she warned. "Do _not_ piss me off tonight."

He grinned up at her. "You'll get what you want, but you tease me so often that you need to get some of your own back, amour. Lay back and enjoy."

"'Lay back and think of England'?" she joked, reminding him of what mothers used to tell nervous daughters before their wedding nights.

"Oh, I think you know by now that you'll enjoy this." He bent back to his task, nipping and kissing along her thigh and then avoiding her center and moving down the opposite one. Before he reached her knee, he reversed direction and moved back up. This time, Evan spread her vagina lips, causing her to press forward so he could go in deeper and when he did, she moaned.

"Eeeevaaaan," she groaned out. "More. More, please," she commanded. She put her hands down on his head, but he freed one hand and knocked them away so she placed them back on the bed. As he continued to manipulate her clit with his tongue, she alternated between saying his name and begging for more. He grinned and sped up his strokes, trying to bring her to climax. She began panting and gasping out his name after a few minutes and he could feel her muscles tense. "Ev. Ev. Ev, I'm gonna come," she warned. "Oh, goddess, Ev, stop what you're doing or I'm gonna come." He rubbed a hand against her thigh in reassurance, but continued to go down on her. "Ev, I'm gonna come. Please."

Realizing that she was trying not to let go, he pulled back for a minute so he could talk to her. "Go ahead and come, amour. I want you to. We're only getting started here."

She placed a hand on his cheek, using her thumb to rub a smudge of her essence from 

the corner of his mouth. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Let go and come." When he was sure she understood that he really did want her to climax, he bent back down. It only took a few seconds to whip her back up to her previous frenzy and this time he knew she wouldn't hold back. A minute after he began going down on her again, she began to tense up, a sure sign that she was about to orgasm. He placed his hands on her thighs because he didn't want her to jerk up and knock him loose and doubled his efforts. Putting an extra little twist into his movements, he sent her over the edge.

Aiden shouted his name as she tumbled over the cliff and grabbed his head, pressing him closer to her core. He continued to lick her clit as she climaxed, prolonging her orgasm until she began begging him to stop. She collapsed backwards on the bed, breathing heavily, as he sat back and admired her. Her eyes were closed and she was completely limp. Beads of sweat dotted her face and plastered her hair to her forehead and her cheeks. After a couple of minutes, she opened her eyes to slits and looked down her body at him. "You look like the cat that ate the canary," she informed him.

He grinned and traveled up her body, fitting his erection against her still spasming center. "I don't think you've ever come that hard from a little tongue action," he responded. "Do you want to rest for a few minutes?"

She slid her hands down his bare back until she reached his ass, then pressed him against her. "No. I want you inside me."

He kissed her. "I definitely think we can arrange that."

Evan started to move off her, but she held him tightly, rubbing her body against him, and making sure to press extra hard against his erection. "Stay here for a few moments longer," she begged. He pushed back slightly so all of his weight wasn't on top of her, but didn't roll off her. He wanted to play with her hair, touch her, and explore what she had bought to tempt him, but she had wrapped her arms and legs around him and he was loathe to break her hold. She ran her hands up and down his back, murmuring to him in a mixture of French, Irish, and English. He pressed kisses to her face which was about the only thing he could reach easily in their current position. After a few moments, she pushed against him and whispered, "My turn. Roll us over."

He rolled them over so she was perched on top of him and she grinned down at him. Aiden surveyed her territory for a few minutes while he stared up at her. He didn't reach for her, didn't move, content for the moment to let her set the pace. They had all night and he didn't want to rush anything. Too soon the ache in his groin began to override his patience. "Aiden," he groaned, "you need to do something. Anything. I can't wait forever."

She leaned down, meeting his lips with hers and kissing him. When she drew back, she began to make her way down his chest, placing open mouthed kisses down the center 

as she spoke, "You won't have to. I don't intend to make you wait."

When she reached his belt, she began to undo it with her hands as she sucked him through his pants. He craned his neck up so he could see what she was doing and groaned at the sight. Her fingers fumbled on his belt and he reached down to help her, but she knocked his hands away and rolled her eyes upwards to glare at him. "Right," he ground out, trying to keep his voice steady as she bit down gently. "Your turn."

Aiden grinned and rewarded him by sitting up and undoing his belt and zipper with nimble fingers. He blinked and when he opened his eyes again, his pants, shoes, and socks were somewhere on the floor below the bed, leaving him clad in just the red silk boxes she had given him for Christmas. Evan laughed at the maniacal light in her eyes. "You wore them!" she exclaimed.

"I kinda thought that was the point," he replied.

"Yeah, but you wore them today," she said. She looked him over again, then leaned towards him, her hands and mouth caressing his body. Her mouth went first to the scar on his right bicep, the one that had almost taken him from her before she even knew him as a friend much less a lover; at the same time her hand found the matching one on his left hip. Those were from one of their first missions together and she had almost lost him that time. There were other scars, other marks, more memories; from before and after they became lovers and her hands and mouth found all of them, arousing him with each touch. From the smallest scrape from a sparring match just before they left to the line along his left wrist from their time with the Mrobi tribe that matched the one on her wrist; she found each of them. There were scars she hadn't been there for, but he had told her the stories and she had wrapped him in her arms and chased away the nightmares if he had them. Now she replaced those memories with the memory of her mouth sucking on them and his voice moaning in hunger.

Evan reached for her now and she didn't push him away. Hands unclipped unfamiliar clasps and removed the garters holding the stockings up. She smiled when he began to attempt to roll the stockings down. She was kneeling, preventing him from getting them farther than her knees. She smiled wickedly at him as she stretched out one leg and slowly rolled the stocking down it. He followed her hands with his, then ran one hand back up her leg, slipping his finger inside her and making her gasp. "Are you going to keep prolonging this?" he asked huskily.

She looked up from rolling the other stocking down; her task complicated by the finger that was still massaging her. Her voice was breathy as she answered him, "If you keep doing that, I'm not going to be able to focus long enough to get you naked."

He removed his finger and lifted his hips, slipping his boxers off. He tossed them off the side of the bed, then reached up and unhooked her bra. She locked her eyes on his as he eased it off, rubbing the marks that were left behind by the elastic and under-wire. She shuddered under his hands and he groaned as she settled back on top of him and 

he almost slipped inside her. He dropped her bra beside them and grabbed her hips, intending to guide her into place. She rubbed against him, grinning as he groaned again. This time the tip of him did slip inside her, but she pulled away before he could make a full connection. "Amour, stop teasing," he begged.

"I'm not teasing, this is foreplay," she told him, throwing his earlier words back at him.

"No," he replied. "This is torture." Evan grabbed Aiden's hips as she pulled away again. "Enough," he commanded. Holding her steady, he began to ease inside her.

She threw her head back as he pushed farther inside and braced her hands on his shoulders. "Aaaaah," she moaned as she sank down until he was fully inside her. He kept one hand on her hip as he slid a finger up between them and into her. She gasped as he rubbed her clit. "Goddess, Evan," she gasped.

"Move, amour," he directed. "Ride me." He set the rhythm with his finger and his body; guiding her with his hand on her hip.

Aiden tipped her head down so she was looking at him, lust clouding her sapphire blue eyes. As she began to move, she ran her hands up her own body until she reached her breasts. He watched as she manipulated her own nipples, exciting them both further. He glided the hand that had been on her hip up along her body and tangled his fingers with hers, playing with her nipples and her fingers and drawing more moans from her. He had missed the sounds she made during love making the last few times. Even though she said she didn't care that her parents knew they were sleeping together; Aiden had been quieter at the house. Here and now, she seemed to feel freer to make her normal sounds.

He could feel himself harden further, not just at the feel of her, but at the familiar sounds issuing from her. She leaned down towards him as she slid down his shaft, teasing him with butterfly kisses against his lips. He grinned as she continued to repeat the motion and he slid his hands around to her back, encouraging her to ride faster. She held one of his hands to her back, but moved the other one back to her front and encouraged him to slip his fingers back inside her. "Like that, huh?" he asked, huskily. "You gonna come for me, mon amour? Come so hard that you almost shake apart in my arms?" He could feel her start to tense, feel her internal muscle start to clench, and he encouraged her to speed up. "Come for me, grá," he whispered and it was the sound of her endearment for him on his lips that tipped her over the edge. With a cry she tumbled.

Evan held her as she shuddered through her orgasm even as he continued to thrust up into her. When she opened her eyes again and looked down at him, he brushed her hair away from her face. "I love you," she whispered to him.

"I love you, too," he replied. He drew her down to him and rolled them over, drawing her leg up against him to get a better angle to drive himself into her.

Aiden ran her hands down his back, urging him to take his pleasure with her body and her voice as she murmured to him, "You feel so good inside me. My strong soldier. My protector. My life." She continued to murmur to him as he thrust into her, speeding up as the fire built within him. She could feel his orgasm beginning to build and felt her own building with his. She nuzzled along his ear, sucking on his earlobe. "Let go, Evan," she whispered in his ear. "Let go and take me with you. Take me over the edge."

"Aaaideeen," he gasped out as he spilled into her. She shuddered through her own orgasm and then held him tightly as he continued to shake for a few minutes afterwards.

She murmured words of love and comfort to him as he came down from the heights and when he was back with her, she smiled at him. "Was it worth it?" she asked.

Evan nuzzled her neck and placed random kisses on it, too worn out to do anything else. "You're always worth it," he told her.

Aiden ran an idle hand up and down his back, just enjoying his weight against her body and the feel of him softening inside her. When he shifted to roll off her, she held him tightly. "No, not yet," she murmured.

"Aid, I'm too heavy," he protested. "I'll hold you. Just let me move off you." She relaxed her grip at his words, allowing him to ease out of her. He got off the bed for a moment, pulling the blankets out from under her and then arranging her on the bed. He snuggled up next to her and pulled the blankets over them. She nestled up against him, running her hand along the arm he wrapped around her. He could feel her relaxing in his arms and he hugged her tightly. "I love you, Aiden Lorne," he whispered against her hair. "And I am _never_ going to get tired of saying that."

* * *

Aiden didn't feel any different when she woke up the next morning. She was snuggled in Evan's arms like usual and they were entwined, but their hands were linked together, their rings resting against each other. She could feel Evan breathing easily behind her and knew he was still sleeping, so she lay there just enjoying the moment.

This was shattered a few minutes later by the ringing phone. Moving quickly, in hopes that she could answer it before it woke Evan, she grabbed the receiver. As she set it back down in the cradle after her conversation, she turned back to find Evan looking at her. "Everything okay at your parents'?" he asked.

She nodded. "That was Mama, in case you didn't figure it out. They're gonna make sure your family gets to the airport tomorrow. She suggested you might want to call them before they go. She also said to tell you that the hotel room is paid for until we go back to work." She smiled down at him. "Apparently they want us to have a little honeymoon."

Evan grinned. "Well, let's take advantage of it."

"Absolutely," Aiden agreed as she moved willingly into his arms.


	21. Chapter 21

Aiden slid out of the car and opened the back door, pulling her duffel out of the back seat. The airman at the gate stepped forward quickly and took the duffel from her. "Let me take that, ma'am," he offered. Aiden accepted his offer with a smile and let go, then laughed as he almost dropped it, obviously not expecting it to be as heavy as it was. "Its okay, I've got it," he hurriedly assured her.

"Aiden, that was mean," Evan chided as he retrieved his own duffel from the back seat and handed it off to another airman. "Don't tease the poor man."

"I wasn't teasing," Aiden defended herself. "He didn't have to expect that it would be light just because I'm female. Half the time my packs are at least as heavy as yours."

Evan took her elbow and used it to steer her towards the checkpoint, flipping his ID open. He nudged Aiden and she pulled her own out of her pocket. Both of them signed in and pressed their right thumbs against the scanner, confirming their IDs. The first airman followed them into the elevator, depositing their duffels on the floor, before backing out and saluting. Evan returned the salute as the doors closed and then he turned to Aiden. "Glad to be going back home?" he asked.

She pulled him towards her, snuggling herself underneath his arm where she had become accustomed to being when they were off-duty, before replying, "It was nice to see my family." She studied the rings that now adorned her left hand. "And I'm very happy that I am now Mrs. Lorne." She squeezed his waist. "But, yes, I am very happy to be going home. And, Evan, where ever you are is home now." As the doors opened, she picked up her duffel bag and stepped out, pulling out her ID to get cleared through the next checkpoint.

Evan followed her out. "Aid, that got a little mushy there," he pointed out he handed over his own ID. He pressed his hand against the scanner as he looked at his new wife.

"I thought I was allowed a little mushiness," she replied, placing her own hand on the scanner as he removed his.

"A little, but that was kinda pushing the limit," Evan told her. He looked up to see the sergeants at the checkpoint swallowing smiles. "Come on, you're providing too much entertainment for the soldiers."

Aiden looked back over her shoulder as they entered the second elevator to see the two sergeants grinning broadly. When she was sure Evan wasn't looking, she gave them a broad wink. She turned around to find Evan glaring down at her and she put on her most innocent look. "What?"

"Aiden, I may have to command those two boys some day," Evan protested.

"Ev, I sincerely doubt that a three minute conversation they observed between you and me would make difference in how they responded to your commands. More than likely it 

would be the way our boys reacted to you. Relax, even if you do have to command them, they'll have forgotten this." She pulled him down and kissed him briefly. "I need to see Daniel before we head back," she reminded him.

He leaned against the back wall of the elevator. "I know. I know. You think you can manage to visit him and not lose track of time?"

Aiden held her wrist out to him. "Set my alarm?" she requested. He took the watch off her wrist without a word and set it, then put it back on, using that grip to pull her towards him. She bumped up against him, but held herself rigid. "Um, Ev, cameras?"

"Um, Aid, married?" he replied.

She threw her arms around his neck, melting into him. "Good point," she whispered as she met his lips with hers.

"Ni-ice, Lorne," a male voice broke into their self-absorption, causing them to pull apart. "Why don't you get a room?"

Aiden turned around to see a vaguely familiar man standing there, with two other men behind him. "We have a room, thank you," she replied.

The man raised an eyebrow at her response. "You have a room?" he repeated, glancing at Evan.

Aiden nodded. "Yes, we do. We..."

Evan cut her off before she could get involved in a long discussion. "Aiden, my former teammates, Major Powers, Captains Hamilton and Steele. Guys, my current teammate and my linguist and wife, Aiden Bancroft-Lorne. Aiden, your time is already ticking, go find Doctor Jackson." He pushed her in the right direction. "I'll make sure your duffel gets to the right place."

Aiden glanced over her shoulder as she left Evan to the mercies of his former teammates; she could already hear them all beginning to talk at once and the words "linguist" and "wife" were most prominent. She giggled to herself; Evan had set himself up with that introduction and she had no qualms about leaving him to fend for himself.

Evan held up a hand as all of the chatter overwhelmed him. "Guys, I still can't understand more than one person at a time. I've got to get these duffels down to the 'gate room since Aiden and I are leaving with the rest of the Atlantis personnel. Now if you want to help me, I'd be happy to explain to you who Aiden is and what happened."

The three men exchanged glances, then nodded. Steele stepped forward and swiped his card through the reader, calling the elevator. "We'll help you, sir," he responded, "but we would like to know when you joined the dark side."

Evan laughed as they all stepped into the elevator and Sinclair hit the button for Level 28. "The dark side?" he questioned. "What part of me being with Aiden is the dark side?"

Powers leaned against the wall of the elevator and crossed his arms. "You said she's a linguist?" he questioned.

Evan nodded. "Yeah. So?"

"So, she's a scientist," Steele added.

"I.E. the dark side," Hamilton concluded.

Evan rolled his eyes. "Guys, she's a linguist. A soft scientist. She's not the dark side. At least she's not an engi-nerd." When the other three looked at him in confusion, he banged his head against the back of the elevator wall. "Damn too many hours with Aiden. Her terms are starting to creep into my vocabulary. Engineer. At least she's not an engineer."

"See first you start sleeping with them, then you start talking like them, and next you stop being military," Steele informed him.

"No fear of that," Evan replied. "She likes things that go boom, too." At their looks, he waved it off. "Don't ask. Anyway, I've been dating her for about four years. I asked her to marry me while we were on leave. Since we were at her family's, she decided she wanted to get married then because they wouldn't be able to come to Atlantis. We had a small ceremony on New Year's Eve." He picked up Aiden's duffel as the elevator doors opened. "And that's the story."

Steele and Hamilton exchanged glances as Powers picked up the other duffel. "I still say he joined the dark side," Steele said as they followed the other two off the elevator.

Hamilton shrugged. "Its his choice," he replied.

Evan ignored them both and led the way into the 'gate room where the rest of the Atlantis personnel were beginning to gather. He dropped the duffel and motioned for Powers to do the same, then looked around to see who the next highest ranking officer was so he could take command.

"Hey, Colonel," Steele called as Evan tried to find the lieutenant that had also been given leave. Evan turned around to face his former team who had all lined up by the door to the 'gate room. They saluted him as a group, then grinned, and said, "Congratulations" before scattering back to their normal duties.

* * *

Aiden waved to people she knew as she wound through the halls towards Daniel's office, but didn't stop. Evan had given her a set amount of time to meet with Daniel and she didn't want to waste any of her time visiting with other people. She saw a few new faces, but also a lot of familiar ones.

She turned the corner into Daniel's office to find a sight she was well acquainted with. Daniel was hunched over something, one hand scribbling notes in his notebook while the other groped blindly for his coffee cup. His glasses were sliding down his nose and he absently pushed them up, almost poking himself in the eye with his pencil. Aiden waited until she sure he wasn't going to spill something to say, "Hello, Daniel."

Daniel's head jerked up and he spun around on his stool to face the doorway. He grinned when he saw Aiden standing in the doorway. "Hey, Aiden. How was your leave?" he asked, putting his pencil down.

"It was fabulous," she replied, entering the office now that he knew she was there. "It was great to see my family and..." she held her left hand out, "Evan proposed."

Daniel took her hand to hold it steady so he could see the ring and he noticed the band underneath the engagement ring. "Looks like he did more than just propose," he commented, releasing her hand.

She nodded, grabbing a spare stool from beside the desk and sitting down. "He proposed and I said I wanted to get married with my family and with my friends from Atlantis. We decided that was impossible so we had a small ceremony in Kentucky and we'll have another ceremony on Atlantis at some point."

He nodded, considering his own wedding band. "Grabbing the moment while its there," he said quietly. "I think we've all learned to do that."

She nodded. "Yes, we have." She held up her watch. "And I've got only a few minutes of my own left. Evan set my alarm so I'm not late. I got a message that you have some books for me?"

Daniel looked around his office. "Books, right. I have books for you. The question becomes where did I put them?" As he got up to look around for them, he turned back to look at her. "Congratulations, Aiden. I hope you two are very happy."

Aiden smiled as she began to help him search for the books. "Thanks, Daniel. That means a lot to me."

* * *

When they stepped through the last wormhole onto Atlantis, they didn't expect to find more than the regular 'gate staff waiting for them. Instead they discovered their team waiting at the bottom of the steps, arrayed together, all of them with large grins on their faces. Gathered behind them was about half of Aiden's linguists, looking scared, but determined in the face of so much military. Above them on the balcony stood Sheppard with his wife, Ashlyn, on one side of him. McKay stood on the other side of Sheppard and Teyla beside him. Ronon stood on Teyla's other side, her three year old son perched on his shoulders. Even Woolsey was there, although he looked like he had been recently sucking on a lemon. Sheppard was leaning casually against the balcony, one leg propped up on the railing, his arm around his wife. As Evan and Aiden stopped dead at the sight of so many people, Sheppard drawled loud enough for everyone to hear, "So did she say yes, Lorne?"

Aiden looked up at Evan in amusement as his ears turned red and his expression sheepish. "Did everyone know except me?" she asked.

"Ah, well not _everyone_," he answered.

She indicated their team, her staff, and then the command team up on the balcony. "Ev, that's pretty much everyone we're close to on Atlantis and I suspect a few more people are lurking out of sight."

"It's a small city, Aid," he protested.

She snorted as Sheppard called down, "You gonna answer, Colonel, or am I going to have to make it an order?"

"No," Aiden called up to Sheppard, "I didn't say yes." She grabbed Evan's left hand with hers and held them both up so those close enough could see the rings that now adorned their fingers. "We both said 'I do'," she added before anyone could start to object.

As the cheers, cat-calls, and congratulations rang out, bouncing off the walls of the 'gate room, Evan took Aiden into his arms and did something he rarely did in public; he kissed her senseless.


End file.
